What Gets Me Through the War
by AnimeGirl 144
Summary: Slight-AU Alice Spacebyte thought she was normal, but since the day Fuse waged war with Earth, she has decided she's no longer normal. Follow this thirteen-year-old girl as she makes friends, fights Fuse, and discovers who and what she actually is.
1. Introduction

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, I've wanted to do this for a while. It's a character-journey story. Now, this is a bit AU-ish, but the plan it still the jist of the game. I'm adding a few new Nanos (Alien X, Lazlo, Cheese), and my character will be allowed to have all the Nanos in the NanoCom because I like all the Nanos. However, she is only allowed to bring out three Nanos at one time. PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM! VERY IMPORTANT!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter One: **Introduction

* * *

13 Years Earlier

Space, a mystical being all its own. The year was 1996, and the young scientist Professor Utonium was staring up at the stars from his cozy home in South Pokey Oaks. Looking through his telescope, he was observing all of the stars that he could see. Though he did not major in astronomy during his university years, he at least minored in it. The space above this Earth fascinated him greatly.

"Fascinating," Utonium said, tuning his telescope a little.

His eyes were suddenly caught to something streaking across the night sky. He rounded his telescope on the thing and watched as a colorfully white comet soared across the night sky. His eyebrows rose in fascination.

"Fascinating," he repeated, watching it.

He continued to watch it, before he suddenly realized something. This comet wasn't soaring; it was _**falling!**_ Gasping, he looked up from his telescope and watched as the comet hit the Earth's atmosphere (resulting in a loud boom) and falling into the open fields somewhere to the northeast of S. Pokey Oaks. It was in the Peach Creek district, though it was unclaimed and unnamed. Astounded, the professor ran down the roof and to his car, barely saying a word to his monkey Jojo. He hopped in his car, started it up, and drove down the streets to the crash landing sight. So many thoughts ran through his mind.

_What just happened? Why did a comet fall to Earth? How did the Earth _**survive**_?_

He came upon where the comet had landed. Smoke rose from the small crater it had formed. Surprisingly, no one had bothered to come out and investigate it. Although, not many people lived out here in this area. He stopped his car close to the crash site. Jumping out of his car, he ran to the sight, and looked in. His eyes widened when he saw what he didn't expect. Where a space rock should have been, a humanoid being slept there. Curled in a ball, he realized this was a humanoid baby. The white light from the comet was now surrounding the child, acting as a form of protection. Cautiously, Professor Utonium stepped closer to the crater, and tried to touch the baby. The light seemed to brighten, but dimmed into nothing. Now, with only his car lights to be his guide, he picked up the child and looked at it. It already had hair. Had he looked carefully, through the light, he would have seen that it had blue hair. Now, with the light gone, it had dark brown hair. Professor Utonium breathed steadily, looking at this baby. This _alien_ baby.

_What am I going to do with it? I don't know _how _to care for a baby._ Looking down at the baby, he quickly thought, _Maybe I should take it to a hospital._

Close to a half-hour later, Professor Utonium found himself, at a quarter to midnight, sitting in the waiting room of a local hospital. He twiddled his fingers, anxious to see if it -the baby- was alright. And to see what it _was_. A boy, or a girl?

_Does it matter? I can't care for it. I don't know how._

He hung his head in guilt. Where would this baby go?

"Professor," the kind doctor said, catching his attention.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked, standing to his feet.

She smiled sweetly, holding the baby, now wrapped in a pink blanket.

_Pink. Pink blanket. A girl._

"She's doing very well," the doctor announced. "Are you the father?"

"M-me? Oh no. No no. I, I just found her," Professor answered.

It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the _whole_ truth. The doctor's face turned into a frown.

"Oh. How sad," she said, looking at the child softly. "Who would leave a baby unattended to? Who would abandon her?"

_Yes. Who?_

"Were you planning on taking care of her?" the doctor asked.

"N-no. I, I wasn't," he said, looking away.

The doctor's face twitched slightly. She was frowning even more, but held her tongue. Who was she to judge? He was at least kind enough to bring the baby to the hospital, to be checked on.

"Very well," she said. Her mind was made up. "Since this child has no one to turn to, I shall take care of her."

Professor Utonium smiled, his face brightened.

"Really? Can you do that?" he asked.

"I dare anyone to stop me," she said, a hand on her hip as she stood proudly. "Now, to name her."

Utonium didn't know why he stayed around. Maybe it was because he felt like he should make sure the baby was safe. After all, she was new to this planet, literally!

"How about, Alice," the doctor said to the sleeping baby. The doctor smiled as she nuzzled the baby. "Yes, I think Alice shall do. Alice Spacebyte."

Utonium's eyes widened at the last name, but didn't say anything. Instead, he closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad she'll have a safe place to live," he said.

She smiled up at him and nodded.

"So am I, Professor," she said, looking back at the baby. "So am I."

Later that night, or early morning, Utonium was logging his night, occasionally petting Jojo. After finishing up his report with the ending sentence: _"Something about little Alice makes me wonder,"_ Utonium placed Jojo in his bed and headed to bed himself. The future was open to possibilities. Who knows what the little alien baby could do? He was engrossed with his thoughts, he didn't see another flash of white fly through the sky.

* * *

Present

2009. 21st Century. This new century was gifted with having brilliant minds, such as Dexter and Double-D and even the villains Mandark and Mojo Jojo. And they even had great heroes like Ben Tennyson (nicknamed Ben 10), the Powerpuff Girls, the KND, Juniper Lee, and even Megas, who was driven by Coop.

But none could guess what Earth was in for. Even the KND's Moonbase didn't know what would happen. Nor did the Galactic Enforcers. But that was farther in the future. We cannot be worried about that now. No, our story begins with Alice Spacebyte. Before we begin, I should probably explain more about her.

Now at 13-years-old, and living in the Cul-de-Sac of Peach Creek Commons, Alice accompanies the Cul-de-Sac children to Pokey Oaks Junior High, and was even good friends with them, becoming close friends with the Eds. But even with the closeness, Alice always felt that she was alone. Seperate. Different. It always nagged at her, making her stay awake at night, flopping and turning in her bed. She always felt that she was an outcast compared to the others in her Cul-de-Sac. Little did she know, her differences would be what would save the world from the villainous Planet Fusion.

So, let's begin the tale...

* * *

**A/N: Hi, so this is the first chapter. Sorry if it's short. I wasn't planning on it being long.**

**I'm also introducing a lot of NPC's not seen in the game (i.e. Johnny Bravo, Rolf, Ms. Belleum (I know she 'disappeared', but I like her, so she's here), and the Rowdyruff boys and more). Shows you will **_**NOT**_** see in here because I detest them are: **The Secret Saturdays, Chowder, and Flapjack**. If any of these shows are your fav, please do not come on and bash me about it. My story, my choice.**

**Hope you liked it, and will stay to read the rest of it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	2. The Girl

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. I have no news, but thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'd like to thank **Zerowing21**; thanks for your kind words. Would you tell me if I got everyone's personalities right? That's my biggest worry. To **hdikes** (and anyone who sends characters in), your character(s) will appear later in the story (at least by chapter 6 or 7, depending on your character). So, please be patient.**

**At the bottom of this chapter, I'm going to add the shows that will be represented in this story. If you want shows that aren't seen in the list to be seen in this story, PM me, but give good arguments. The shows that will **_**NEVER**_** be seen in **_**THIS**_** story are:** The Secret Saturday's, Chowder, **and** Flapjack**. Aside from my reason that this is my story and I am choosing what's in here and what's not, I have other reasons. The first show I could never get into, and the last two I hate.**

**Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Two:** The Girl

* * *

I walked home from school like usual. I usually walk alone. The other Cul-de-Sac children usually make it home before I do (they have bikes or other means of getting back home before I do). My mother is always working late at the hospital, and I have no father. It sometimes saddens me because I feel like an outsider. I ran a hand through my dark brown hair before looking up at the sun. It was a very beautiful day, and since it was the weekend and I had no homework today, I decided to head to the park.

I sat on the swing, looking up at the cloudless sky. Adjusting my shirt's sleeves, I continued to stare at the sky. Something about the sky, and space, fascinated me. When my mother had asked what profession I wanted to go into, I told her I wanted to go into astronomy. Why?, she had asked. Because, I answered, I love the stars. Pulling some of my hair over my shoulder, I began to stroke my long brown hair (it was very long touching the back of my knees, but some of my hair strands were pulled into a ponytail that laid against my other hair). Pushing my hair back over my shoulder, I swept the bangs out of my gray eyes.

I decided to swing a little bit, slightly surprised to see no children playing at the park. It was very strange. Children were usually, always here. Hearing what sounded like rockets, I looked up in the sky to see two streaks flying through the sky. Pink and blue. Blossom and Bubbles. The Powerpuff Girls. My eyes softened as I looked at them sadly. They had just recently lost their sister, Buttercup. Looking down at the ground, I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. To fit in.

I had friends. The Cul-de-Sac children, and even Mac. But, I never felt like I fit in with them. I'd just watch them as they talked, as they played. I would get involved, sometimes, but not as much as the others did. My mother said I shouldn't try to fit in; it'll come naturally. Sighing, I looked at my black boots that looked like army boots and went to my knees. I shouldn't have these thoughts, but I couldn't help it.

I suddenly cringed in pain, placing a hand to my forehead. I was receiving more and more headaches ever since I turned 13. They were very cryptic, hard to understand. They were always dark, but green somehow found their way in. How strange. What did they mean? Closing my eyes, I decided I should head home and grab an aspirin. Those always made the headaches go away. Weakly getting on my feet, I began to head home again with my shoulder bag on me (the strap was on my left shoulder while the bag itself was on my right thigh). Holding onto it tightly, I walked down the street under the hot sun, doing my best to try and not sweat.

Once I reached home, I closed and locked my door, dropped my bag off, and headed for the medicine cabinet. There was a definite upside to having my mom as a doctor. Our medicine cabinet had some kind of pill or liquid for just about anything and everything. Grabbing an aspirin bottle and some clear soda, I downed the two aspirins with the drink, avoiding the taste altogether. Sighing, I felt my headache go away.

I grabbed my bag again and headed up to my room. Placing it by my door, I went to my laptop and turned it on. Once on, I went to mail to see if I had anyone. Hm,... Professor Utonium sent something. And it's addressed to me. I barely knew this genius, but my mother seemed to be on good talking terms with him. Many would think I've met the Powerpuff Girls upfront and personal, but surprisingly, I've never met them in person. Strange, isn't it? My mother knows their father, and they even go to my school.

Opening the letter, I began to read it over. He asked how I was doing, and if I was well. He then talked about something he saw in the sky, and even about how some genius kid named Dexter (if I'm not mistaken, this may be the same Dexter that has his own company at Tech Square) saw the same thing. He wants me to talk to Dexter. I blinked and reread the email. When I finished, I blinked then leaned back in my chair. Why did the Professor want _me_ to talk to _him_? Shaking my head, I made a move to start an email to write back to the Professor, when my computer dinged.

"New email," my computer chimed.

Blinking in surprise, I saw that it was from Dexter. The same one the Professor wanted me to see. Clicking on the email, I read through it. He was wondering if I would be able to come to Dexlab, his lab and company, to talk. Talk about what? What did these two want from me? Sighing, I heard the doorbell ring. Getting up, I walked down the stairs and to the door. Without looking through the peephole (why bother?, I was in a safe neighborhood; we had the Urban Rangers), I opened the door. My eyes widened as my mouth fell open slightly.

"Hi there," Ben Tennyson said, waving his hand in a friendly matter.

I continued to gape at them, surprised. Why were Ben Tennyson, a hero, and Numbuh One, also a hero, here? At _my_ house? Shifting to one side, Ben placed his hands on his hips as he looked down at me; he was taller. My eyes were on him.

"So, we were sent by Dexter to come and pick you up," Ben said.

That snapped me back to reality. Gripping the door and practically hiding behind it, I looked at the two suspiciously.

"Why?" I asked, trying to sound friendly, yet I was wary.

Heroes or not, I couldn't simply trust them willingly. Numbuh One stood up a little taller, probably to catch my attention.

"Because, he fears that something might happen to you along the way," Numbuh One answered in his leader tone.

Hearing this, my head perked up as I looked at them questioningly.

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously, hiding more behind the door.

Ben and Numbuh One (from behind his sunglasses) looked at each other with a look. Ben looked back at me, giving me his full attention and I in return.

"Er, well you see," he started, before sighing. "Listen, it's really important that we take you to Dexter. He says he has to speak to you immediately. Something's got him troubled."

"But why me? I'm just a normal girl," I said, cocking my head to the side.

Ben shrugged.

"You know more than us. We were just told that it was important to get you to Tech Square unharmed," Ben answered. "So, will you come?"

Raising an eyebrow, I shrugged.

"Okay, just give me a second to write my mom a note," I said, walking to the kitchen where he left a notepad and a pen to write with.

Quickly scribbling a note, I followed the two heroes out of my house (locking it on the way out). As we headed to the bus station, my mind began to buzz with questions. Why was a small town girl going to the big city to meet a genius? Looking at the two boys, I kept my mouth shut, but looked around my surroundings them looked up in to the sky. Why did I have the feeling that somebody, or something, was watching us. Faintly, from the corner of my eyes, I could see a weirdly crafted gun held tightly in Numbuh One's hand. Was he expecting someone too? Ben looked aloof, his hand behind his neck as he led the way to the poorly constructed bus station. On our way to Tech Square,... how fun.

**

* * *

**

No P.O.V.

Dexter, Boy Genius, was on one of his rare rests (Computress threatened to shut off Dexlabs if he refused to take breaks every now and then). Sitting in the small rec. room, he sipped on water through a straw. He had to admit, a break wasn't so bad, and it was on his terms. Still, he was anxious. Looking at his wrist watch, he bit on his bottom lip before going back to his drink.

The Professor, an equal and mentor to the young genius, had told him about this girl, Alice Spacebyte. Dexter had no clue who this girl was, yet the Professor eagerly pushed Dexter to talk to her. Besides, he'd be here too to talk to this girl. Looking at the data pads that laid in front of him, he looked at them with his brows knitted together. What they read troubled him.

"Doing some homework?" Professor Utonium joked as he stepped into the room.

Dexter looked up calmly at the Professor. He was no longer startled by anything. Sighing slightly, the Professor walked over to the table and took a seat, sitting across from the young genius. His eyes flickered to the pads, before back at the teenager.

"So, tell me, have you looked over the sample I sent you?" Utonium asked.

Dexter nodded.

"Yes. After doing many tests over them, I am, startled by the results," he answered.

Utonium looked up in slight shock. Dexter said startled. So he _could_ be startled. Dexter continued.

"It also has me wondering on what kind of life form has these same properties. How is it _living_?" he said. He closed his eyes from behind his glasses before reopening them. "It troubles me."

Utonium nodded, but looked at the pads. He had gone over the tests as well. The one to the left of Dexter was the results from his own tests. The one to the right was Dexter's. They did look the same. Exactly the same.

"Professor, why did you ask for me to speak with this, Alice Spacebyte? I know nothing about her," Dexter said.

The Professor looked at the table solemnly, trying to collect his thoughts. Looking up at him, the Professor's smile was small. Very small. Dexter seemed surprised, perking up more as he looked at the older man.

"Professor? Do you know her well enough?" Dexter asked.

The Professor's smile faltered slightly, but he answered, "Yes, I do."

Cocking his head to the side, Dexter prompted the Professor more, "Well?"

Refusing to look up at Dexter, the Professor preceded to tell Dexter all about him finding Alice when she was only a baby. What made Dexter's eyes widened was at the fact that Alice came from outer space. This meant she was an alien. Had he never met Ben, he'd never have believed in aliens. He didn't doubt it anymore. When the Professor finished explaining, Dexter just looked at him blankly.

"Sooooo, you think she may be able to help us?" Dexter asked.

The Professor nodded.

"Yes. She might be able to help us discover what these things are, and maybe, even stop it," the Professor said.

Dexter blinked more out of surprise by what the Professor just said, but was stopped when a holographic image of his assistant Computress appeared in the room.

"Dexter, Kids Next Door Operative Numbuh One and Ben Tennyson have arrived with Alice Spacebyte," Computress informed. "I have already allowed them to head to where you had allowed them to go to."

Dexter nodded, "Thank you, Computress."

Computress nodded her head at him before flickering away. Looking at the older man, Dexter stood to his feet.

"Well, Professor, she has arrived," Dexter said. "We must do this quickly. Much is at stake."

The Professor nodded grimly.

"Yes. I know," he said, also standing and following the younger genius.

**

* * *

**

Alice's P.O.V.

"Dexter and Professor Utonium should arrive any moment now," Computress' voice said from behind me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, but turned to see that it was the real Computress, not the hologram like last time. Although she was addressing all of us, her yellow optics were on me. I felt a little uneasy about her gaze and looked to the ground.

"Thank you for the information Computress," Numbuh One said to the computer assistant. "Alice, I wouldn't touch anything."

Nodding my head absently, I decided to head to the window and look out. Across the way was Mandark Industries. The dark colored building contrasted Dexter's brightly colored building. Down in the center, probably acting medium to both rivaling factories was a beautifully grand fountain. Taking my eyes away from the fountain, I looked up to the sky. My eyes were strangely drawn to it. The nagging feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Is there something out there, Miss Spacebyte?"

My eyes widened as I jumped. Turning quickly, I looked at the genius, who was smirking lightly. He was probably proud of himself for scaring me. How rude. I kept my mouth closed and waited for him to continue. Apparently, he wasn't going to say anything in my direction. Instead, he turned and addressed Numbuh One. His look was serious.

"Was there any trouble on your way here?" Dexter asked.

Numbuh One shook his head, standing stiff at attention. Ben was still looking around, but I had the sense that he was also paying attention to this conversation.

"None. It seemed that it wasn't bothering to show up," Numbuh One said.

_It?_ I looked at Dexter questioningly. What was going on? Before I could question him, the Professor placed a hand on my shoulder, catching my attention. He was smiling at me fatherly.

"How have you been?" he asked.

I blinked in surprise at his sudden question.

"Uh,... good," I replied rather hesitantly. "How are you doing?"

The Professor's smile grew as he inclined his head.

"Good. Thank you for asking," the Professor said.

The corner of my eye caught the sight of a conversation going on between Ben, Numbuh One, and Dexter. They all looked deathly serious, even the carefree Ben. What were they talking about? The Professor seemed to have caught my curiosity, but his face looked grave. He knew something. _They all_ knew something.

"Professor, why am I here? What's going on?" I asked.

"You're very keen. You know something's going on," the Professor said.

I nodded, "My mom says I'm very good at noticing important things. Now what's going on?"

The Professor frowned grimly, but beckoned with his hand and head to head over where the three boys were. Quietly, I followed. Something big was going on. I can feel it!

"...and my monitors haven't been able to pick anything up. Has either the Moonbase or the Plumbers discovered anything?" Dexter asked.

Both boys shook their head. Dexter sighed in frustration, running a gloved hand through his hair. If boy genius was frustrated, something bad was going on. I decided to make myself known.

"What's going on?" I asked (probably for the third time this day). "What's happening? Why am I here?"

Silence met my questions. And uneasy tension hung in the air. They all seemed to be avoiding my gaze. For the first time in my life, I was annoyed. I was _truly_ annoyed. Ben and Numbuh One practically kidnapped me and brought me here, and yet no one has said anything to me about why I'm here.

"What's going on!" I now demanded, stomping my foot down to show my seriousness.

Yes, _that_ caught their attention. They looked at me in surprise. If I wasn't so annoyed, I would have shrunk under their gaze. I inwardly told my legs to quit shaking, hoping the shakes wouldn't give my stance away. The boys were focused on my face, before they looked at each other and nodded. A hand on my shoulder made me look up at the Professor.

"You're needed here, Alice," the Professor said, his voice grave.

I blinked at him, my face not annoyed anymore. It was filled with questions.

"But why? Why do you need a simple suburb girl to help you? Two genius' and two heroes. What can _I _possibly do?" I asked, not really believing what I was hearing.

"More than you know, Alice," the Professor answered me, his voice serious and grave. "More than you know."

* * *

**A/N: End of chapter two. So, how did you all like it? I may be combining aspects from another story that I was writing into this fanfic. The next chapter will be more of the explaining and Alice's reaction to finding out who she is. Hope you liked it, and will stay to read the rest of it.**

**Here's the Shows Represented:**

Cartoon Network-  
Dexter's Laboratory  
The Powerpuff Girls  
Ed, Edd n Eddy  
Courage the Cowardly Dog  
Samurai Jack  
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy/Evil Con Carne  
Codename: Kids Next Door  
Megas XLR  
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends  
The Life And Times of Juniper Lee  
Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force, & Ben 10: Evolutions  
Johnny Bravo  
Camp Lazlo  
My Gym Partner's a Monkey  
Class of 3000  
Generator Rex  
Toonami

Teletoon-  
Atomic Betty

Boarderlinging-Cartoon Network-  
Cow and Chicken/I.M. Weasel  
Time Squad

**I'm debating on **Adventure Time Finn & Jake** because I don't know how they'd fit in here. If anyone has ideas (other than the Ice King Invasion) I'd like to hear them.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	3. A Well Deserved Explanation

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. I have no news. Not that many reviews last chapter but oh well. The story must go on!**

**Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Three:** A Well Deserved Explanation

* * *

I found myself, minutes later, sitting in Dexter's work chair, facing the two geniuses, two heroes, and a computer assistant. My hands were shaking in my lap a little, but I kept my eyes focused on them all, mostly the Professor. He seemed to be debating something, but he finally decided. Decided on what? I don't have a clue. He cleared his throat, making me sit up just a little bit straighter.

"Alice, there is something you should know," he began.

Something in me twisted a little in annoyance, but I ignored it and continued to look at him. He stepped forward, then got to my eye level. I was a little taken back by this movement, but kept quiet and waited patiently for him to continue.

"You see," he began again, though he paused and looked troubled. "M-maybe this should wait."

_Wait?_ Although I didn't voice my thoughts, I frowned. The Professor was looking at Dexter, who seemed to nod at him sympathetically. The Professor was back on his feet in seconds, and Dexter stepped forward. I turned my attention to him, but made sure my frown was still on my face.

"I shall start from the beginning," Dexter said, clearing this throat into his glove. I frowned at him patiently. "You see, not too long ago, I had received a very troubling video call from the Galactic Guardians."

I stopped frowning and sat up a little more. I looked at Dexter questioningly.

"Galactic Guardians? Who are they?" I asked.

"At this moment, they are not important." My frown returned as I leaned into my chair. _Important my butt!_ "One of their Guardians, a girl by the name of Atomic Betty, has reported to me that she and the Guardians had found planets disappearing out of nowhere."

"Disappearing?" I interrupted with genuine interest.

Dexter nodded. "I too had noticed this, but did not know what caused these planets disappearences. The Galactic Guardians don't know either, but Betty and her team said they were heading into the sector to find out what has been going on."

"The Moonbase's scientists also noticed something wrong and sent some KND officers out to check it out," Numbuh One put in. "We haven't had any word from them since."

"What happened? Do we know what caused it?" I asked, my eyes wide with amazement. Space had always fascinated me, and to hear _this_... But I also felt troubled. What was doing this?

Dexter nodded. "Yes. Not too long after my conversation with Atomic Betty, an unknown source sent me a video message, although I couldn't contact the person back. Here, let me play it for you." He wandered over to his computer and typed on it. The screen came to life, and a video was soon playing. I sat on the edge of my seat, watching the screen intently. Whoever was videotaping this (from the video, I could hear a male voice who was continually snapping at someone called 'Sara' to keep this video running) was videotaping a small bluish-green planet being consumed by a greatly large planet that was green in the center, but had other planets sticking out of it (my head started to ache upon seeing this). The video was cut off when the planet was consumed and something looking like a green light shooting towards the video taper. Dexter turned back to me. "The same person who sent this later gave us some information on it. That planet, the one you just saw, was called Planet Fusion, ruled by a being called Lord Fuse."

"Fusion? Fuse?" I asked.

Dexter nodded, walking over to where our little group was.

"Yes. He has been attacking and consuming planets," Dexter said. "What is even more terrifying is that the planet is coming our way; Fuse has already sent his minion troops here, to Earth."

"His minions? On Earth? How come I didn't hear about this on the news?" I asked.

"Until we get all the facts straight, alerting the public would be too soon," Ben said, trying to smooth my nerves down.

I shot to my feet, startling myself and maybe making the others a bit startled too.

"The people of Earth have the right to know the threat!" I argued. "Earth has to be prepared!"

Dexter sighed, probably not pleased with my outburst.

"Normal humans _can't_ win against the Fusions," Dexter said tightly.

"Fusions?" I asked.

"They're dark copies of Earth's heroes," Numbuh One answered. "They're made of goo with red eyes, and their only mission is to do what their master wants."

"The Fusions have to be stopped before Fuse arrives," Dexter said, "and that's where you come in."

"Me?" I asked. _Am I _finally_ going to learn why I'm here?_

Dexter nodded, and now looked to the Professor. Looking weary, the Professor stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You may want to sit down," he suggested.

Frowning just a little, I did as said and sat down, looking at the Professor expectantly.

"Alice," he began slowly. "Thirteen-years-ago, I was studying the stars through my telescope when what looked like a white comet started falling to Earth. I was a little afraid myself, but watched as the comet look-a-like landed in the open field of Peach Creek Estates. I immediately drove over there to see what it was. Do you know what I found?" I stayed quiet, not really knowing where it was going. "I found a baby. A baby girl." No, wait, I think I'm slowly getting it. "I brought her to the hospital to make sure she was alright. A doctor returned, telling me she was in full health. She had...The doctor had asked if I was her father. I,... I answered no. I wasn't. The doctor then decided to take her under her wing and protect her and raise her." The Professor bent in front of me again. "Alice, you were that baby."

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened and my head fell forward a little. I don't know why I was acting like someone had just kicked me in the gut, but I was. I then reminded myself I had to breath, and began to breathe in and out, slowly. The Professor placed a hand on my shoulder, making me look at him again.

"Alice, you're,... you're..." the Professor's voice died away, not really sure if he wanted to finish it.

"An alien," Ben said in astonishment, looking at me with wide eyes.

Numbuh One's eyes were also wide behind his glasses. My breathing became unsteady again, and I began to hyperventilate. This scared the Professor who placed both of his hands on my shoulders.

"Alice, calm down," he said.

I _couldn't_ calm down. I don't know why I was reacting like this, but I couldn't stop. It was getting harder to breath, and the floor was beginning to spin. My hearing was going too, because I could barely hear Dexter call for some medical bots. Before the medical bots could assist me, I found myself falling off the chair sideways, almost hitting the floor if not for arms catching me. I closed my eyes and fell unconsious, not hearing what everyone in the room was saying.

* * *

My head was aching again. I don't know what caused it, but it hurt. Badly. I groaned lightly and swayed my head to lay on the right side. My ears were beginning to work again because I could hear voices talking. They sounded close yet far away. I then tried to force my eyes open, but they refused to work for me. I relaxed my eyes a little more before forcing them open. As I forced my eyes open, my hearing was returning full-scale. The voices were closer now. As my eyes began to open, a blurry face was leaning over me. I rolled my head to the left as my eyes began to unblur. I blinked and was my eyes were fully adjusted, I rolled my head till my face was looking at the white tiled ceilings. Leaning over the railing to my bed was the Professor while Ben and some robot (I'm guessing a medical bot) were standing near my bed. Both the Professor and Ben grinned at me.

"You gave us quite a scare," Ben said.

I blushed sheepishly, feeling embarrassed and stupid for pulling a scene earlier. I took notice that Numbuh One, Dexter, and Computress weren't here, but that didn't bother me really. I tried to sit up onto my elbows, but the room began to spin, making me halt my actions. The Professor must have noticed because he placed a hand on my shoulder and eased me back into my bed. I laid down and released a quiet groan under my breath.

"I must have made a scene," I said, already knowing the answer.

"It's understandable," the Professor said reassuringly. "You were just, taken back."

I gave a small smile in the Professor's direction before I tried to sit up again. I took it slowly this time, and made it out with better results. The moment I was settled in an upright position, the door opened and Dexter, Numbuh One, and Computress walked in. The two humans looked a little troubled. Dexter looked up at me and his face seemed to soften.

"Ah good, you're awake. Are you feeling better?" he asked, stepping closer to my bed.

I nodded sheepishly, still feeling ashamed. He pulled up a chair and sat beside my bed, looking at me seriously now.

"Good, because there are still things we must go over," Dexter said. His voice was grave, and serious. "I took what you said into consideration, and informed the government about Planet Fusion and Fuse."

Something inside of me brightened at the fact that Dexter took _my_ advice.

"So, does that mean everyone has been alerted?" I asked.

"Yes," Numbuh One spoke up. "The KND are already distributing weapons out to teen and kid fighters."

"Teens and kids? What about adults?" I asked.

Numbuh One's eyebrows narrowed slightly as he looked at me. I blushed and looked away sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"Anyways," Professor cut in to ease any tension in the room, "with that said, we need to get you better prepared."

"Really?" I asked, feeling my strength returning to me.

"Yes. I will have Computress help you with your armor and weaponry, just follow her," Dexter said.

I nodded and got out of the bed, not feeling woozy anymore. Computress kindly guided me into another room and to a small closet that seemed endless. I was surprised at all the clothes in the closet. Computress guided me through the armor that looked like normal clothing.

"Dexcorps has lined all of these clothes with a special mineral that makes it into armor. This will help you stay safe when fighting the Fusions," Computress explained. "Please, have a look anywhere."

I dumbly looked through the clothing, noticing that they were sets and color coordinated. I looked in my favorite color section (blue), till I found a set that looked amazing.

"Ah, the Azure Filigree Set," Computress said. "Please, try them on."

I did as Computress said and was in the Filigree set within seconds. It felt very soft, and I did like how it looked on me.

"I like it," I said, looking at myself in the mirror at the very back of the closet.

Through the reflection, I saw Computress nod.

"Then let us move on to weaponry," Computress announced, heading out of the closet.

I quickly followed her, exiting the closet and moving to another part of the room where different types of weapons were displayed on the walls. There were six walls used for displaying.

"Each wall displays a certain type of weapon. The six types of weapons are: shatterguns, rifles, pistols, thrown, melee, and rockets. You are to choose two weapons to carry on your journey," Computress explained.

Two? How was I going to carrying two on my journey? Looking over the weapons, I noticed they had plating's under them, giving their name and their stats. I was drawn to a weapon called "UFO Repeater DX" (it was in the pistol class) and a melee class weapon called "Shooting Star Blade." Suddenly, before my eyes, my weapons disappeared. I jumped back in shock.

"When you need them, call their name, and they will appear," Computress said. "Follow me now. We shall return you to Dexter so he may give you a Comlink."

"A Comlink?" I asked as I followed Computress.

"Yes. It is a device Dexter has been working on for ages," Computress replied. "It is a prototype, but I am sure he would enjoy having you test it out for him."

We entered back into one of his lab room (obviously not his real lab because there wasn't enough devices or experiments in the room I had been in a couple of minutes ago) to find the four males still there, talking amongst each other. They quickly noticed our entrance and turned their attention to us. I noticed in one of Dexter's gloved hands was a circular device the size of his palm with a glass dome top. He stepped forward and held out the device to me.

"This is a Comlink," Dexter began to explain to me. "It will allow anyone to contact you, send you messages, and act as a map to you."

I inspected the device, clearly impressed. It was touch screen interactive, and looked like it was meant to be placed on the hip of my body. I looked through the Comlink's stuff. Then, when I was bored, placed the Comlink on my body, which attached itself snuggly. I turned and looked up at the genius, wondering what else they would tell me.

"I believe you are ready," Dexter said, probably having gone over a list in his head on what else to tell me. "But, you will need some training."

* * *

**A/N: End of chapter three. So, how did you all like it? I hope you all liked the cliffhanger to this chapter. The next chapter is going to deal with some of Alice's training. Soon, you'll be seeing more of CN's cartoon characters than you have now (I'm going to have fun playing with the Urban Rangers and KND operatives). Hope you liked it, and will stay to read the rest of it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	4. Having Some Training Time at Sector V

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. I have no news. Now then, I want to clear something up to those who may send in your characters; they will not be following Alice or be part of her group or have Nanos. I have three new characters who will do that (minus the Nano part). Your send-in-characters, however, will make more than one appearence. So,... just want to pre-warn you all.**

**Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Four:** Having Some Training Time at Sector V (1 of 2)

* * *

I couldn't help but feel a little nervous as I followed Numbuh One into his Sector V Treehouse. Dexter had told me that I'd need some more training, but he wasn't one to teach anything really physical, so he was out of the question, along with the Professor, who sped off to check on his girls back at Pokey Oaks. Ben said he was needed back at Offworld Plaza where his grandfather was waiting for him. Numbuh One was the only one left, and I fell into his custody (which was weird considering that I'm older than him). Now, I was here at Sector V, following Numbuh One into his treehouse. What I expected for a welcoming was completely different than what had happened. Numbuh One had informed his teammates that I'd be staying at the treehouse for a while, just long enough till Dexter felt I was ready. When we arrived, Numbuh Three practically tackled me to the ground as she held me in a big bear hug. Her squeals of what I assumed was a welcoming made my ears ring. Numbuh Four came to my rescue and pulled Numbuh Three off of me. Numbuh Five now took her place.

"So, your name's Alice?" Numbuh Five asked, sounding friendly.

I nodded at her sheepishly, feeling a little out of place.

"Y-yes. Alice Spacebyte," I replied.

"Spacebyte?" Numbuh Four said. "What a ridiculous name!"

"Oh put a sock in it, Wally," Numbuh Five shot over at the shorter teammate. "Don't make fun of her; we're here to help train her."

"But she's a _teenager_," Numbuh Four argued, sending me a small glare.

I felt my insides grow cold as his words hit me. Maybe that's why I felt out of place; not because I wasn't a KND operative, but because I was a _teenager_ among _kids_. I dropped my head in shame, feeling even more uncomfortable. Numbuh Five quickly came to my defense, sending glares at Numbuh Four.

"Numbuh Four, if what Dexter says is right, and we do have a war on our hands, we're going to need _all_ the help we can get," Numbuh Five scolded.

Numbuh Four crossed his arms and hrrumphed, obviously angry that a teammate of his was siding with _me_ and not with _him_. She then took my wrist and moved me out of the beginning of the tree, guiding me somewhere I didn't know. I could still feel his glares on me. We came upon a wooden door with the number 5 painted on it. She opened the door and I followed her in. She closed it behind us and sighed.

"Sorry 'bout him," she apologized to me. "He's not very open to teenagers. We've been fighting with them for so long-"

"It's okay," I interrupted. "I understand."

"Yeah, don't worry about him, he'll come around," Numbuh Five said. "So, tell Numbuh Five if you have any kind of training."

"None. I've never handled a weapon, nor taken up martial arts," I answered.

"So, you're a newbie," Numbuh Five said. "You'll need to start training soon."

"My thoughts exactly," Numbuh One suddenly said.

I jumped several inches off the ground and looked to the door. Numbuh One, in his leader posture, stood staring at me. I felt unnerved by him, not really enjoying him just staring at me from behind his sunglasses.

"Come with me Alice, we'll begin with some physical moves," Numbuh One said, turning on his heel and heading out of the door. "You'll need to learn to defend yourself if your weapons are suddenly taken out of your hands."

Sending a thankful smile to Numbuh Five (who seemed to know why I was thanking her), I followed Numbuh One, quickly catching up to him. We walked in silence, the uncomfortable tension circling around us. We came upon a door that made my heart drop and my blood froze. Numbuh One entered without caring for the number on the door and I followed hesitantly. Punching one of his punching bags was Numbuh Four, obviously taking out his rage. He didn't hear us come in, keeping his focus on his punching bag.

"Numbuh Four," Numbuh One commanded, his voice breaking through the sounds of a bag getting the stuffing punched out of it.

Numbuh Four finished his punching and turned to look at his leader. The minute his eyes caught on to me, they narrowed in anger. I flinched, scooting to hide behind Numbuh One. Numbuh One stood tall and stared at Numbuh Four.

"Numbuh Four, I need you to teach Alice some moves to defend herself if she was to ever lose her weapons," Numbuh One told Numbuh Four, instructing him.

Numbuh Four seemed to look at Numbuh One with a confused and questioning look on his face. He opened his mouth to protest, but Numbuh One interrupted him.

"Wally, you _will_ teach her to defend herself," Numbuh One amended with an order, his voice leaving no room to argue.

Numbuh Four closed his mouth and glared at Numbuh One (or me, I _was_ behind the leader of Sector V), but nodded all the same. Numbuh One turned, sent me a look I couldn't read, and left the room, leaving, me and Numbuh Four alone. _Just_ _great._ I stood timidly by the front door and waited for Numbuh Four to speak.

"Well? Are yah comin' up here or not?" Numbuh Four snapped at me.

Without a word, I scurried to the ring and hopped in. I looked up at Numbuh Four, hoping he wouldn't notice my shaking legs. Oh good, he was glaring straight at me. That meant he wasn't staring at my shaking legs.

"Well, come 'ere. We're gonna start with basics," Numbuh Four said, motioning with his head to the punching bag.

I hurried to the punching bag and waited for his instructions. I was in Numbuh Four's room for two hours, learning some of the basics. Numbuh Four was infuriated and exasperated at me for not knowing even how to punch. I soon learned and mastered it (to the best of my abilities) and we moved on to kicks and blocks. We then went even more complex and he taught me some more complex moves, which I eagerly practiced. I noticed that whenever he was doing a move, he seemed more happier. After our two hours were up, Numbuh One came in and grabbed me, saying we'd be heading to the training grounds to practice with my weapons. I didn't realize the training grounds he spoke of were border lining Pokey Oaks North and Sector V. It was pretty strange that I never knew this considering my school was in front (or behind, depends on how you want to see it) of the grounds. Numbuh One made me practice shooting the targets with my pistol-class weapon and then had me use my melee-class weapon on other targets. We were out there till dusk because I was absolutely terrible. I was only able to hit the side of one of my targets. Even though Numbuh One didn't say a thing, I could tell that he was disappointed with me. Who wouldn't be?

Anyways, just as the sun was disappearing, a little hamster ran out to us, carrying a little note in its mouth. It ran to Numbuh One's feet and showed him the note. Numbuh One took it, quickly read through it. He nodded to the hamster then bent down onto one knee, not taking his eyes off of the mammal (at least I think so; it's so hard to tell with the sunglasses).

"Tell Numbuh Three we're on our way," he instructed to the hamster.

The hamster saluted, then took off for the Treehouse. I watched it leave till Numbuh One reminded me of his presence and stood next to me. He cleared his throat, making me nearly jump out of my skin and turn to look at the leader of Sector V. He was looking straight at me (we were about the same height), a hard stone-like look on his face.

"Come on," he said to me. "Numbuh Three is expecting us for dinner."

He began to walk back to Sector V with me following up behind him. He then continued.

"We'll continue your shooting practice tomorrow," Numbuh One said.

"I was pretty bad, right?" I asked from behind, my head lowered but my eyes looking at the back of his head.

Numbuh One didn't answer me, and he even looked tense. That was my answer. I lowered my eyes to the pavement and did my best not to let the tears produce. We continued the walk to the Treehouse in silence, and soon, made it to Sector V's Treehouse in minutes. Numbuh Three ushered us in quickly, and we three walked into the kitchen. Numbuh Three sat me down in the seat between her and Numbuh Five while the other three male operatives sat opposite us. Numbuh Three passed out the dinner and we ate. I had to say, for a twelve year old, she was a really good cook. It was at that moment my eyes widened as I remembered someone very important. I dropped my fork from my hand, making a clang against the wooden table and making every turn and look at me.

"Alice? Girl, you okay?" Numbuh Five asked.

I stood up quickly, a little shaky.

"Do-do you guys have a phone?" I asked.

The KND operatives turned and looked at each other questioningly before looking back at me.

"Yeah, my folks do," Numbuh One answered. "It's down in the house. I'll guide you there."

"Thank you," I said hurriedly, following him.

"What's that all about?" I heard Numbuh Four say.

"Numbuh Five don't know," I heard Numbuh Five answer.

After thanking Numbuh One and his parents, I dialed my house's phone number and waited for my mother to answer. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Numbuh One standing at the corner, trying to give me privacy but at the same time keeping an eye on me. I ignored the hurting feeling (I felt like he couldn't trust me) and focused on the phone. When our answering machine picked up the call, I decided to place the phone in the receiver then grabbed it again and dialed the hospital down at the Space Port (why placing a hospital right _across_ from the port I'd never know). One of the nurses at the desk answered, and said they'd kindly relay the message to my mother. Feeling better about the whole thing, I hung up and turned to Numbuh One. Thanking the Uno family once again, Numbuh One and I returned to dinner, where the other four Sector V operatives looked at us (well, me) expectantly.

"So, what'd you have to do?" Numbuh Two asked, saying his words carefully.

He looked at me curiously, nothing malice in his profile features. I decided to answer him, seeing as lying would do no good (and what was wrong with me telling them that I called my mom?).

"I called my mom," I answered.

"Why'd you go and do that?" Numbuh Four asked. Even though I saw a little malice in his eyes, I couldn't hear it in his question.

"I wanted to not make her worry. I wanted her to know that I,... that I wouldn't be going home tonight," I answered.

None of the KND operatives said a thing to me, maybe because they had nothing to say, maybe because they didn't care to answer. We continued dinner and were halfway through when everyone started talking again. Numbuh 2 was discussing a new 2x4 device that seemed to get the others talking. It seemed only Numbuh Four and I weren't talking, or even contributing to the discussions. We finished dinner and moved into the rec. room at a quarter to nine, and I was beginning to feel incredibly tired. We sat down and watched a show (Numbuh Four and Numbuh Three had a small argument on what we were going to watch; Numbuh Three won because she tapped into her inner evil and shouted at him for Rainbow Monkeys and he gave in). By time it hit ten, I called it quits and headed off into my spare room (Numbuh Five was kind enough to show me it).

I got into my bed but didn't fall asleep just yet. So many thoughts were still going through my head. Everything that had happened today continued to play through my mind. My eyelids lowered as I stared at the ceiling. I was an alien; but from where? Was I like Superman, gaining my powers from the sun? (I highly doubt it, but anything's possible in this world). My thoughts finally tired me out, because I fell asleep, forgetting the thought that had put me asleep the next morning.

* * *

**A/N: End of chapter four. So, how did you all like it? The next chapter is going to deal more with Fuse's invasion. Soon, you'll be seeing more of CN's cartoon characters than you have now (I'm going to have fun playing with the Urban Rangers). I know some may say "You're being mean to Numbuh Four for making him antagonistic to your character". I've already taken these into consideration; I think he **_**might**_** of does this (I mean, he's mean to Tommy, and Tommy's a **_**kid**_**), so I wrote it like this. But don't worry; Numbuh Four will have his redemption!**

**The main reason I would have had him upset with Alice was because Sector V would have been twelve, almost reaching thirteen so he was angry that he'd be a teenager soon and takes out his anger on Alice, but scrapped the idea and kept the kids ten. Hope you liked it, and will stay to read the rest of it. And maybe review?**

**I can't wait to get the next chapter out because it has one of my favorite Cartoon Network characters. So stay tuned!**

**Till then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	5. Planet Fusion has Arrived

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. I have no news, but thank you to everyone who reviewed.**

**Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Five:** Planet Fusion has Arrived (2 of 2)

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling that something was wrong. I don't know what, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up before it returned to normal. I decided to let the feeling pass and immediately set off to get ready for the morning. After getting dressed and placing up my hair, I headed out of the spare room and headed towards the kitchen. My stomach was growling, demanding food. I wander what time it was. When I entered the kitchen, I noticed Numbuh Two was the only one in there, munching on a bowl of Rainbow Monkey cereal. He noticed my entrance and smiled at me.

"Mornin' Alice," he greeted me heartedly.

I smiled, welcoming this friendly greeting.

"Good morning Numbuh Two," I greeted back, heading for the cabinet. "Are the others already up?"

"Should be," Numbuh Two replied. "You must have been really tired; it's already ten to eleven."

I blushed sheepishly as I looked at him.

"Almost eleven huh? That is the longest I've slept in. Sorry if it was an inconvenience to you," I apologized, pouring the milk.

"Ah don't worry about it," Numbuh Two said. "It's not like you've got a mission to do. Anyways, I was rearing up to watch the Yipper marathon!"

"Yipper?" I asked, sitting down and taking my first bite.

"Yeah! It's this show about-"

"Incoming message! Incoming message!" the treehouse's intercoms shouted.

"A message? Must be important. Follow me!" Numbuh Two said quickly, already heading for the doorway.

"Wait up!" I shouted after the kid, then following him.

He and I arrived in a room I didn't know, yet it had a lot of TV screens; must be the communications room. The other operatives were already there. Without even acknowledging us, Numbuh One activated a video message where a girl with blond hair appeared.

"Numbuh One, this is an emergency!" the girl said, her voice urgent.

"What is wrong Numbuh 362 sir?" Numbuh One asked, strict at attention.

_Sir? Wouldn't it be ma'am?_

"Our Moonbase scanners have indicated that an unknown source is heading straight towards Earth. We have a visual of it now," Numbuh 362 said, before she disappeared from the screen and a new image took its place.

My eyes widened as a breath caught in my throat, and I saw Numbuh One stiffen. It was _Planet Fusion!_ Ignoring the voice that said to just stand in the back I ran up to Numbuh One and grabbed his arm just as Numbuh 362 returned to the screen.

"Numbuh One, we have to warn Dexter!" I said, looking at him urgently.

Numbuh One looked from his (by my guesses) superior to me with understanding eyes. He nodded, understanding fully.

"We will Alice, don't worry," he said. He then turned back to Numbuh 362. "Numbuh 362, what are you doing now?"

"I am sending out ships to try and stop it," Numbuh 362 said.

"Very well. Tell us if there is a change in anything, Numbuh One out," Numbuh One said, ending transmission before starting a new one.

The video-feed went through, and Dexter appeared up on the video-screen.

"Yes?" Dexter asked.

"Dexter, we have a problem. Kids Next Door astrologists have discovered Planet Fusion heading towards Earth this very moment," Numbuh One informed.

"What?" Dexter said, his eyes wide behind his glasses/goggles.

Numbuh One nodded.

"This isn't good. We need to alert the Earth heroes immediately. Numbuh One, is the Kids Next Door-"

"Numbuh 362 has already dispatched squads to try and stop the planet," Numbuh One said, interrupting Dexter.

"That may buy us some time," Dexter said. "We still must alert..."

I missed what else Dexter said because I completely zoned out. My eyes were wide as the hair on the back of my neck stood up again. That feeling like something was off returned. If you've ever seen an anime, where one of the characters can sense something bad about a situation and their hair kind of flows around them, that's what was going on. I knew something was off, and gasped as if I was returning back to normal when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"Alice," Numbuh Five said. "You okay girl?" I looked over at Numbuh Five and noticed her worried yet curious look. "Is something wrong?"

I continued to look at Numbuh Five before looking at the screen to see Numbuh One still talking with Dexter. I then looked back at her.

"Planet Fusion just took out half of the Kids Next Door flight squadron," I said, not realizing what I said till it left my mouth.

Everyone, including Dexter and Numbuh One, heard the words I said and looked at me crazily.

"What-?" Dexter was cut off when a sounding alert came from one of the computer screens.

Numbuh One worked on one of the boards and Numbuh 362 returned to the screen, looking very distraught.

"Numbuh One, the Earth is in big trouble! This planet was able to take out half of our squadron." Everyone turned and looked at me at this point. "The planet is headed straight towards Earth, and we can't stop it! I've already sent our best Kids Next Door operatives to Earth."

"I must alert the others now!" Dexter said, making everyone turn their attention to the Russian-accented boy. "Numbuh One, do your best. I am sure Fuse will be sending out his minions."

"Understood. Numbuh One, out," Numbuh One said, saluting to the two people on the screens before they returned to blank screens. He then turned to the rest of us. "You know what we must do. When Fuse attacks, we must be ready and attack whatever he throws at us, understood?"

"Yes sir!" the other operatives said, saluting at him.

With his motion, we all ran down the hall and towards the outside.

"Girl, how did you know what happened to the fleet?" Numbuh Five asked as we ran.

"I-I don't know," I answered, looking away from her sheepishly.

How _did_ I know?

* * *

With our weapons in hand, Sector V and myself stood outside of the Treehouse, staring at the sky to wait for either the operatives Moonbase was sending, or Fuse's invasion. I was praying for the former rather than the latter.

"Any signs yet?" Numbuh One asked Numbuh Two, who had binoculars made out of soda pop glass.

"None yet Numbuh One," Numbuh Two reported.

"They should have arrived by now," Numbuh One muttered to himself.

Again, something over took me as I said, "They've been attacked."

All eyes were on me yet again, and I blushed in embarrassment.

"What do ya mean girl?" Numbuh Five asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"I, I saw the ships Numbuh 362 sent out. They were attacked..." _by what I believe to be Fuse's army_ was left unsaid.

I could see the concern flash across their faces (although I think Numbuh Four was glaring at me; did he not believe me?) and wondered if I should have told them.

"B-but I did see one ship get away, though it was unmarked," I quickly added.

"Unmarked?" Numbuh Five echoed.

"Yes, but it came from the Moonbase," I answered. "It didn't have KND written on the side, yet all the others did, and it looked like a Kids Next Door ship."

"Can you see who's in it?" Numbuh Three asked.

"N-no," I answered. "But, the ship is very close. It barely escaped from being attacked."

Numbuh One looked ready to say something to me, but he was stopped when a small ringing sound from his pocket made him look at it. It was a communicator, from what I could see.

"Numbuh One here," he said into the communicator.

"Numbuh One, it's me, Dexter. I have troubling news," the flustered voice of Dexter was heard over the communicator. "My scanners have just gone offline. I suspect it is Fuse's doing."

"Offline?" Numbuh One echoed, to be sure.

"What's that mean?" Numbuh Three asked.

"Trouble," Numbuh Two answered.

My attention was no longer on the conversation that Numbuh One was having with Dexter or the explanation from Numbuh Two to Numbuh Three but to the skies above us. My hair flowed off me once again as something within me kicked in. My eyes widened as fear suddenly gripped me.

"They're here!" I shouted as loudly as I could.

Everyone's attention was on me.

"_What_ did she say?" Dexter demanded.

I had no time to speak, because the answer presented itself to them. Green lights began to shoot down from the sky and towards us. Looking over worriedly at Numbuh One, I saw (and heard) Numbuh One speak to him "The Fusions have arrived first." He snapped the communicator close and readied his weapon.

"When they're in range, fire on them," Numbuh One ordered.

Everyone nodded, but I couldn't say a thing. I watched in fear of the oncoming Fusions. And everything happened at once. Covered in green light (from what I could see), they came and crashed landed like meteorites. The Kids Next Door operatives were shooting at the falling lights. I stood frozen, not ready to use this weapon in my hand. I was terrible; I couldn't do this.

_**You have to.**_

_Who said that?_

_**Fire. Now. Your friends need you.**_

_Need me?_

"Alice!"

My eyes snapped open at the call of my name. I was staring at a pair of red eyes. My eyes widened and I stumbled back. The thing stared at me before opening its mouth and sending a green goo-looking ball at me. My eyes widened a little more and I rose my weapon, shooting at the ball. The attacks deflected in midair. I stared in shock at the Fusion Monster standing before me as it glared at me with red eyes. It was a small thing, no doubt about it, with no legs, but it still looked menacing. It opened its mouth, probably ready to attack, but was stopped by a laser beam coming from one of the 2x4 technology.

"Alice, you need to keep your head on straight, girl," Numbuh Five chastised as she came up beside me.

"Sorry Numbuh Five. I... I spaced out for a little bit. I'll be okay now."

"Good," she nodded. "'Cause we've got work to do."

I nodded back and gripped my weapon tightly, watching as tiny, feetless monsters rose from the ground. I stood firmly in place and began to shoot at as many as I could. I was left alone to deal with them because Numbuh Five, who had been by my side earlier, had run off to assist Numbuh Two because he was being overpowered by the monsters. I heard a voice from somewhere behind me give a cry for help. Turning, I noticed Numbuh Four fighting off what looked like a cable caterpillar. My legs moved on their own as I ran over and shot at the thing. To my surprise, I was able to beat it, making it dissolve into a mess of green goo that disappeared out of sight. I looked to Numbuh Four, grinned, and held out my hand. The kid had fallen, somewhere along the line of fighting the monster, fell to the ground. He stared at my hand before smirking and taking my hand. I helped him up to his feet.

"Thanks, mate," he said to me.

I didn't feel like correcting him, so I continued to smile, feeling a bit happier that he wasn't upset with me.

"So, what was that thing?" he questioned.

"I was hoping you'd know," I answered, though I knew it was in vain. There was no way any of us knew what that was.

He just shrugged and looked to be scanning around the immediate area. I followed suite and, to my chagrin, there was more monsters. I had also noticed Numbuh Three was beginning to become outnumbered and Numbuh Four becoming a little anxious. I decided to act quickly.

"Numbuh Four, help out Numbuh Three before she's overcome by the monsters," I told him.

Numbuh Four looked at me in surprise, but giving me a small smirk (maybe a thanks?) and ran to help Numbuh Three. I was by myself again. I took notice of another new monster and began to shoot at it. I seemed to be getting better, but not by much. The monster with a magnet on its head multiplied and I was soon surrounded by them, doing my best to fight them off. I was getting better at dodging, but their hits were getting closer. Then, before my eyes, they disappeared with a lone figure standing before me.

"Need some help?"

The person who stood before me had an oddly shaped weapon (looks to be 2x4 technology) in his hand. He wore a strange outfit with a baseball base with "274" written on it and an upside-down noodle drainer that resembled a samurai hat. I blinked as I stared at him, who couldn't be any older than me.

"Uh... thank you," I said kindly.

"Don't mention it," he replied. "My name's Chad."

I was a little surprised and stared at the football player of my junior high. I was even more surprised; he looked like a Kids Next Door operative, yet he called himself by his name. My thoughts were broken by Chad snapping his fingers in my face.

"Hey. You haven't told me who you are," he said.

"Uh... Alice Spacebyte."

He placed his fingers to the bottom of his chin as he looked at me, probably thinking to himself.

"So, you're not an operative yet you're here. Strange," he muttered, possibly to himself.

"274!"

Both of us teenagers looked to see Numbuh One run up to us, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"That's not my number anymore, Numbuh One," Chad said the minute the operative arrived.

"Err... right," Numbuh One said in surprise. "Did Numbuh 362 send you?"

"Nah. It's a long story, but I think we have a battle to finish," Chad said.

"Right," Numbuh One nodded as he returned to a more stoic look on his face. "Dexter just called in, saying the whole world is being attacked by the monsters. No where is safe."

"How can we fight all them? Are there anyone to fight them in all the areas?" I asked with concern.

"Dexter didn't say, and Numbuh 362 still hasn't told me if any of the recruits have arrived," Numbuh One answered.

"Well, we'll have this chance to talk later. Right now, we have monsters to exterminate," Chad said as he ran to a nearby pack of Fusions.

Numbuh One left me as well, and no sooner had they left, then did monsters appear. I went back into a battle with them finding myself stepping away from the Treehouse. My attention had been fully set on the Fusions before me, I hadn't noticed that a strange, un-formed goo was crawling towards me. Chad had. He was the closes fighter to me, and he had noticed the goo that was behind me. He shot at it, but the thing wasn't hit. He ran towards us and continued shooting, hoping to hit it at a closer range. The thing was hit, but it continued towards me. I finally noticed the sounds of the beams coming from the weapon and turned to see the thing launching at me. I became a deer in headlights as my mind shut off and I couldn't think of what to do. And then, the most amazing, surprising, and terrifying thing happened: Chad stepped in front of me and took the hit for me. The hit him square on the chest and surprisingly made him fall to the ground. I stood in shock and watched as the goo thing began to grow and expand over his body (he had somehow become unconscious). Fear flagged within my mind and I was able to move. I bent down to try and rip the goo from him, but a static feeling coming from the goo sent me flying back and away from it and its victim. I slowly got to my elbows and listened to Numbuh One, who had discovered that Chad was being consumed by the goo, as he shouted at his teammates to stand back. I looked to see that the goo had covered Chad completely. I looked to Numbuh One and gasped a little in shock. He looked upset; very upset. The goo rose and stood, beginning to take shape. What shape it took made me gasp again.

The shape was of Chad, in the same outfit he was wearing only with strange colors. It was all black with a few items being red. What made chills run down my back was that it had red slit eyes that were looking at us. My hand that used to hold my weapon shook as I stared at it, unsure if Chad was under there. And before all our eyes, the Fusion disappeared. The other monsters retreated as well, not bothering to fight us. We lost track of where they disappeared to, so we allowed them to leave; for now. Everything calmed down, enough to catch our breaths, but we were still surprised, mainly myself and Numbuh One. The leader of Sector V walked to where Chad and the goo had been and just stared at it. I took a step forward, perhaps to comfort him, but felt a hand on my arm, holding me back. I looked and was surprised to find Numbuh Four holding me back. He shook his head and said, in a calm and quiet voice he'd never used when speaking to me,

"I wouldn't approach him right now. He's upset."

I stared at him for a moment before nodding and taking a step back. I stared at the leader and found myself filling up with guilt as something inside told me that what had happened to Chad was my fault. And I believe it was.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

It was an hour in to what Dexter and later the world would call "Fuse's Invasion." The boy genius was getting calls from all sides of the Earth, updating him on the chaos. Dexter stood before his super computer, his gloved hands curled on the dashboard, his eyes focused only on the screen. Computress appeared and hovered towards her boss.

"Are you well Dexter?" she asked.

"We should have been better prepared," he muttered in a ghostly voice. "None of this would have happened had we been prepared. I should have seen all the signs."

He stood straight and continued to look on the screen that was constantly showing the data he was receiving. His face, for the first time, looked distraught, almost like he wanted to breakdown.

"And what is worst, is that Fuse is on Earth."

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun (or however it's spelt)! End of chapter five. So, how did you all like it? The invasion was probably terrible; dang it! I'm sorry. I'm happy to have brought Chad into the story (I can't help it; I have a crush on him!), but do any of you know what's happened to him? What do you think will happen now? Hope you liked it, and will stay to read the rest of it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	6. Meeting People Who Will Be My Friends

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. I have no news, but thank you to everyone who reviewed. You get to meet three of my new characters. And, we get to see Nanos! Yeah!**

**Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Six:** Meeting People Who Will Be My Friends

* * *

I watched with anxiousness and guilt as Numbuh One paced back and forth before us (Numbuh Three, Numbuh Four, and myself) in their meeting room while Numbuh Two was at one of the dashboards, working on a way to raise the Treehouse so that it wouldn't be taken over by the monsters that would try to attack. The monsters had disappeared, hiding somewhere we couldn't find. During that period, Dexter had called, asking for Numbuh One to report, to come to Dexlabs to discuss what they'd do next. The Sector V leader, who was not responding to anyone, was in no condition to leave, so Numbuh Five (who I discovered to be the second-in-command) left via S.C.A.M.P.E.R. for Dexlabs. Numbuh Four, a little tired of seeing his leader so distraught, tried to get him to respond. It was all in vain.

After a while, I grew tired of watching Numbuh One pacing, Numbuh Two working, and Numbuh Three and Numbuh Four sitting, trying to come up with a plan. Feeling like an outsider and not knowing what to do, I stood up and left, heading to... well, I didn't know where. Just somewhere to clear my head and get my emotions and thoughts together. Just as I exited their meeting hall, a thought clicked in my mind, making my eyes widen and a gasp release from my mouth. Dexter had said the whole world had been under attack. Did that include Commons? It was my mother's day off, and she had undoubtingly stayed home. Did _she _get attacked? All the thoughts caused fear to rise as I immediately raised out of the Treehouse and headed for Peach Creeks Common, hoping that none of the scenarios that played in my mind were true.

_Please let my mom be safe,_ I prayed.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"Hey there Dexter," Numbuh Five greeted as she entered the room currently occupied by the boy genius.

"N-Numbuh Five? What are you doing here? Where is Numbuh One?" Dexter demanded.

"He wasn't responding to any of us, and as second-in-command, Numbuh Five's taking his place. So, what do you want to talk about?" Numbuh Five questioned coolly.

Dexter released a sigh as he looked at the red hat wearing kid.

"The whole world had been attacked by Fuse's forces," Dexter began. "But now, it seems they've retreated, and I have no idea why."

"Yeah, something fishy. Some nasty little monsters went into our Treehouse and stole some of our stuff," Numbuh Five said.

Dexter's ears perked as he looked back at Numbuh Five in curiosity.

"They stole some items?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied. "Numbuh Five went and did a check of what they stole before Numbuh Five left. Numbuh One lost a pair of his sunglasses, Numbuh Two's missing a flight helmet, Numbuh Three's got a missing Rainbow Monkey Doll, Numbuh Four's lost his football, and Numbuh Five can't find one of her gold earring."

"Was anything taken from Alice?" Dexter asked, a little worried.

"Nah. Not from what Numbuh Five could tell," Numbuh Five responded.

Something made Dexter put all the information he had just obtained and store it in his mind. It had a feeling it'd be important. But before either could make a comment on it, they were interrupted by Computress.

"Dexter, Miss Coyote is here," his assistant informed.

"Thank you Computress," Dexter said. "Send her in immediately."

Computress nodded and immediately ushered the girl in. Numbuh Five observed the girl -a teen she realized- that walked in. She had purple hair in two moon rings and golden eyes and was wearing a red high sea swabbie bandana around her mouth. She wore a red Button Halter, red Freshman Skirt, and Pixie Boots. In her hand was a Subsonic Drill, indicating that she had either been fighting the monsters on her way here, or she was being precautious.

"Hey Dex," the girl said casually to the genius, not noticing Numbuh Five.

"Viper," Dexter greeted with a nod of his head. "I need you to do something important for me."

"Sure, anything."

"Do you still have that camera I gave you for your birthday?"

"Yeah. Haven't used much of it. Why?"

"I need you to go to these places and take a picture of one of each," Dexter instructed as he handed a datapad filled with the places he needed. "In order to win this war that has now been thrust upon us, we should know our enemies. I plan to name each creature to know more about them, and having a photo to identify them with will be easier."

"So that's it?" Viper asked, hiding her disappointment. "Can I kill the monsters afterwards?"

"Only after you get the pictures," Dexter confirmed. "Oh, put this chip in the camera instead of your memory card. This chip will wirelessly send me each picture you take, making it easier to make the manuals."

"Manuals?" Numbuh Five questioned.

"Something quickly to send out to the heroes," Dexter explained. "The first one I make, I'll immediately send to Alice."

"Alice?" Viper questioned, not knowing who this person was or how she knew her friend. "Who's Alice?"

"Our only hope at winning this war," Dexter said. "Now, hurry."

"Sure Dex, I'll get this job done no prob," Viper said, taking the chip and heading off. "I'll have to take a quick stop, but I'll get them all to you by today." And with that she left.

"Who was she?" Numbuh Five asked.

"Stickybeard's grandchild," Dexter answered.

Numbuh Five's eyes widened from under her hat as she tried to comprehend what she was just told.

"His _what_?" Numbuh Five questioned.

The loud sound of a beeping interrupted Dexter and making his eyes widen. He ran to the computer without a second glance and Numbuh Five followed behind him questioningly. He began to furiously type at the keyboard before a map of Sector V's area showed up, and dot just crossing the line separating that part of the town to Pokey Oaks North.

"Oh no. What is she doing?" Dexter questioned.

"What's up?" Numbuh Five questioned.

"It's Alice. I placed a tracker on her to make sure she'd stay close to you guys till it was deemed by Numbuh One and myself that she could leave your sight, but now she's in Pokey Oaks," Dexter explained, thankfully turning off the alarm.

"Why would the girl do something like that?" Numbuh Five questioned, worried for her new friend.

"I don't know, but we need to follow her," he said as he grabbed a small device. "We'll be able to track her with this. We're taking your S.C.A.M.P.E.R.."

"Right," Numbuh Five said as she followed the genius.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

I was almost there! I could almost see the outlines of the Cul-de-Sac's fortress, meaning I was almost home! The Eds, a week ago, I believe, had made a fortress around the Cul-de-Sac. It was Eddy's plan to make himself the King of the Cul-de-Sac, and the other kids went along with it (it took several years, but the other kids finally accepted the Eds their friends). I appeared at my house and threw open my door, determined to make sure my mother was safe. My mind was running so fast, I hadn't noticed that my door was unlocked.

"Mom? Mom?" I called, running around the house. "Mom? Mom! Mom! Where are you? Mom!"

I ran up the stairs after doing a search through the lower level and began to look around the upper level, looking everywhere for my mom. When I entered my room, I finally stopped and stared at my desk, noticing that made my stomach turn.

Green goo.

I gulped and had the sudden feeling that someone was watching me; that something was in my room. Turning, I looked everywhere by found nothing until I looked up. My eyes connected with red eyes. My eyes widened as the thing lunged at me, I stumbled backwards and stared at the thing that landed where I once stood. My eyes widened even more as I took in the form of what stood before me.

_That's impossible._

Standing before me with glaring red eyes was a green, gooey version of the lost Powerpuff Girl Buttercup. The thing was floating a foot off the ground, just staring at me before it made the first move. It threw a gooey ball at me, making me shriek and dodge it. I ran out of my room and down the stairs with the Fusion following behind me. I knew I needed to fight back, so once I reached the bottom step, I took out my weapon, turned, and began firing at the Fusion who fought back; I was able to get a few hits in, and dodged some of the Fusion's hits. I backed towards my door, and with my mind so focused on the Fusion, I forgot about the step, and so, as I tried to step back, I instead fell to the ground, badly hitting my spine against the concrete.

"Ow," I muttered in pain.

I slowly got into a sitting position, feeling the pain as I sat up. I sat on my butt staring dumbly up at the Fusion that hovered before me. Its blood red eyes had the ability to make my body go numb and my voice to disappear. My hand shook over the hilt of my rifle, yet I could not muster up enough energy to move it and shoot it at the Fusion. I sat there, waiting for the end.

_**No!**_ a tiny voice in the back of my head shouted. It was the same one from this morning. _**You can't give up. You **_**must**_** continue fighting! You must stop Fuse and save the world-the galaxy!**_

_I can't,_ I whimpered.

_**You must, and you will.**_

I knew the little voice was right, but how could I stop it? I had no strength. The Fusion Buttercup rose up its hand and was about to strike me with it when the strangest thing happened; three laser beams shot from behind me and hit the Fusion, backing it away from me. I looked over my shoulder to see three figures standing not too far away from us, holding out weapons that I guess to be the weapons used against the Fusion. Hm.. They didn't look like Urban Rangers.

"C'mon Twins!" the oldest looking boy commanded, running towards us.

"Right boss!" the ones identified as 'Twins' followed their leader.

The Fusion gave a cry, flew over me, and charged at them, shooting its green, gooish beams from its palms. The three dodged the beams and shot at it. i had turned my whole upper-half of my body towards the battle, my eyes staring at it widely. Who were these boys? Where (and how) did they get those weapons?

_**Go help them!**_ the voice shouted. **You're**_** suppose to kill that Fusion.**_

_B-but-_ I whimpered.

_**Now! Help them!**_

"GAHH!" one of the twins shouted in pain.

His scream made me gasp, looking at the wounded boy. Blood was dripping from the gash that Fusion Buttercup opened using its claws. My mind was made up. Getting to my knees and steadying my weapon, I joined the fray, shooting at the Fusion from behind. It growled and turned its attention back on me. As it lunged at me, I shot it where the neck met the chest. That ultimately stopped the Fusion. The Fusion Buttercup fell to the ground demattering itself into tiny green goo matter that disappeared into the sky. All that it left was some orange stuff. Then, before my eyes, the green matter swirled like a tornado and a version of Buttercup now floated in front of my eyes. I stared at it in surprise while it continued to float in front of me, doing a few poses.

"Alice!" two familiar voices called from down the street, from the direction of the fortress.

I turned my face and saw Dexter and Numbuh Five run up to me; a popsicle gun was in Numbuh Five's hand and a metal bar stick with a claw was in Dexter's gloved hand. They stopped a few feet from me and helped me up. Once on my feet, my weapon disappeared. The little thing beside me hovered close to my shoulder.

"Alice, you okay?" Numbuh Five asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I answered. "I was a little shaken."

"On our way here to see if you were okay, my tracker went off to indicate a large amount of Fusion Matter in the area-"

"Is that what the goo was, Fusion Matter?" I questioned.

"Yes," Dexter answered before he suddenly looked at mini Buttercup beside me. "Where did this come from?"

"Well, some of that Fusion Matter from a Buttercup imposter-"

"Imposter?" Dexter interrupted with a questioning look.

"Y-yes. It looked like Buttercup, but with gooey, green skin and blood red eyes and black clothing," I explained.

"Hmm... These imposters.. We'll call them Fusions for now," Dexter said. "So, this thing came from that Fusion?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Remarkable," he said, studying it close. "A smaller version of Buttercup. A nano. A Nano Buttercup! Remarkable."

"Nano?" Numbuh Five and I asked.

"Yes. We shall call these small things Nanos," Dexter explained. "They may be a key in helping us win this war."

"You think those small things can help us?"

Dexter turned behind him and looked at the tall boy the 'Twins' addressed as 'Boss.' He raised an eyebrow and stared at the unknown boy with a critical look.

"Who are you?" Dexter asked/demanded.

"My name's Palmar Whitts," the boy introduced, pointing at himself with his thumb. And these two are the Gemini twins: Brenton-"

"-Call me Brent-"

"-and Trenton."

"-You can call me Trent."

"-When we saw, Alice? I believe? Anyways, when we saw Alice here be attacked by that Fusion, we took it upon ourselves to help her out," Palmar wrapped up.

If Palmar's explanation was supposed to make Dexter feel assured, the look on his face didn't show it.

"I see," he muttered, still staring at the trio skeptically.

"Let's all head into the Cul-de-Sac," Numbuh Five suggested. "We can rest and talk about what's going on."

"That sounds like a good idea," Trent replied kindly. "Brent needs to have his wound dressed-up."

"Alrighty then, let's go," Numbuh Five said, taking lead.

"Say Alice," Palmar called, catching my attention. "Why were you out here by yourself?"

Palmar's question made my eyes widen as I remembered why I was here in the first place. My eyelids lowered a fraction as my vision became blurry. Great, I was going to cry.

"My mom," I whispered.

The touch of something on my head made my eyes snap wide-open and my hand to reach for what was on me. I felt something soft, and it wasn't my hair. I looked up and found the Nano Buttercup staring straight at me. The look in it its green eyes, it looked...sympathetic. Did the Nano hear me? Did it know?

We were greeted at the entrance of the Cul-de-Sac by the Urban Ranger leader, Rolf. He was the one who had Jimmy address Brent's wounds and found a house that was only being preoccupied by Double-D. That was how the seven of us (Double-D and the Nano included) were seated around the lone table. Numbuh Five and Dexter sat on both of my sides with Palmar sitting across from me. The Nano grew tired and decided to sit on my lap.

"So, this thing called a Fusion was able to make that?" Double-D asked, looking at the Nano.

Dexter and I nodded.

"Yes, somehow this Nano came from the Fusion," Dexter replied.

"It had something to do with the Fusion Matter," I contributed. "I don't know what, but it does."

"I'd like to run some tests on it, to get some data on the little things," Dexter said, reaching for Nano Buttercup.

The Nano regained some energy because when Dexter's hand got close to it, it growled at the gloved hand and wacked it, surprising everyone.

"Get your hand away from me!" it growled, glaring daggers at the boy genius.

Everyone was even more surprised to hear it speak.

"You can talk?" I asked.

The Nano looked up at me with a kinder expression than what she gave Dexter and nodded.

"Of course," it said.

"Can you tell us more about you? About the Fusion?" Dexter asked, producing a tape recorder out of nowhere.

Nano Buttercup shrugged and sat on the table.

"Well, I guess for starters, I should warn you that there are more Fusions out there," Nano Buttercup began. "I'm not really sure how I came to be, but because the Fusions contain a piece of some of Earth's heroes and villains, when you beat the Fusion, smaller versions of the hero are made because the matter noe combines with the DNA on the item correctly."

I barely missed the shared look Dexter and Numbuh Five shared.

"Remarkable," Dexter breathed. "Do you know what you can do?"

"I can stun the badies in battle!" Nano Buttercup bragged proudly, flexing to show off its ability.

Dexter nodded, still impressed. The Nano then turned and looked at me, catching my attention.

"So, what's your name?" it asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's Alice. Alice Spacebyte," I answered.

"Alice huh? Well, nice to meet you Alice," it said. "I'm you Nano."

"Huh? My Nano?" I asked, pointing at myself.

"That's right," the Nano nodded. "Because you beat Fusion Buttercup and made me, I'm your Nano. I'll follow you around and help you in battles."

"Wow. Really?" I asked.

"Mhm!"

"How powerful are you?" Palmar questioned.

Nano Buttercup turned and looked over at Palmar with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I'll show you when we fight more of Fuse's monsters," my Nano said.

"Alice, what compelled you to leave the Treehouse?" Numbuh Five asked.

My eyes were trained to the table as I felt their eyes on me. I felt something on my shoulder and looked to see my Nano looking at me with sympathetic eyes. I looked away from it -I mean her- and looked at the table before I finally answered.

"I went to check on my mother."

"What happened?" Brent asked.

I closed my eyes and lowered my head.

"The Fusion got her."

I could feel the atmosphere change drastically. It was broken by the sounds of children shouting and a Fusion cry. Everyone jumped on their feet.

"A Fusion!" we all said before heading out the door and to the outside.

The minute we stepped out into the Cul-de-Sac, a gooey energy ball hit near us, making us scatter. I looked up to see a pair of red eyes stare at me, belonging to Fusion Numbuh Two. Its eyes were set on me. I blinked and the Fusion lunged at me. Sheer panic set in, and my body moved on its own. I began to shoot the Fusion, actually hitting it, but it kept coming. When it was less than five feet from me, the most remarkable (dang it Dexter, now I'm saying it!) thing happened; the Fusion stopped and rolled its head dizzily.

"Take that loser!" Nano Buttercup said beside me, proudly smirking.

"What'd you do?" I asked in awe.

"Stunned it, but it won't last for long," she answered.

Nodding in understandment, I shot at the stunned Fusion while stepping to back to recreate the distance between us. After a few hits, the Fusion came to and released a terrifying growl as it lunged at me again. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Palmar joining in on my fight, but the Fusion was focused on me alone. One of its gooey energy balls (I'm going to call them Fusion Goo Balls) was able to hit me in the shoulder, but I continued to shoot. I was finally able to kill the Fusion before it could, I think, strangle me (its arms was outstretched, reaching for my throat, so I think it was trying to choke me). Then, as before only moments ago, the Fusion Matter swirled before my face to make a Nano version of Numbuh Two: Nano Numbuh Two.

"Another one of those things," Palmar commented as he came up beside me.

"Nano Numbuh Two," I informed him, feeling protective of my new Nano.

"Remarkable," Dexter said, running up to us. "Another Nano."

"Alice here says it's a Nano Numbuh Two," Palmar informed.

"Two Nanos in one day?" Trent remarked.

"Someone call Guineas," Brent remarked with a grin.

Numbuh Five jogged up to us, scanning the area as she slowed to a stop.

"He sure did a doozey here," Numbuh Five commented. "Way to take him down, both of you." Her comment was directed to Palmar and myself.

"Well, all the credit should go to Alice," Palmar said out of nowhere, pointing at me. "She did the most work."

I felt my face heat up and looked down, not knowing what to say or do; no one other than my mother had given me such praise.

"I-I can't take all the credit," I said, looking up to Palmar. "You helped just like with Fusion Buttercup."

"Well, thanks," Palmar said.

"Alice, we must discuss something important," Dexter said.

"What is it?"

The boy genius preceded to tell me that I would be needed to travel the land (it feels so medieval when I say that) and,... well... try to get rid as of much Fusions and cut down Fuse's army as I could. Sounded easy enough.

"Why don't we go with her?" Palmar suggested. "It's obvious she'll need help."

"Please Dexter? It would be nice to have some company," I said. I then looked to my Nanos to make amends, "Not that you two aren't."

It felt strange; me, a _thirteen_-year-old asking permission from a _twelve_-year-old. I didn't question it because Dexter was smarter than me. With a reluctant look on his face, Dexter nodded, sending a glaring look at Palmar.

"Yes, I believe that would be the best course of action," Dexter said, his glare still fixated on Palmar. "Palmar, I need a word with you."

Raising an eyebrow at me, Palmar followed Dexter a little ways from us. I was going to see what they were talking about, but an Urban Ranger suddenly ran up to us. Behind the Ranger, I could see an unhappy Eddy chewing out a scared Double-D.

"Numbuh Five ma'am!" the Ranger saluting to the spy. "Head Urban Ranger Rolf has ordered we report to you of anything we find."

"'Kay. Have you found anything?" Numbuh Five asked.

"Well, sort of," the Ranger hesitantly answered.

At that moment, Eddy and Double-D arrived. Eddy looked furious while Double-D looked terrified.

"What happened to my kingdom?" Eddy demanded.

"By the looks of things, it got attacked," Brent pointed out.

Eddy sent a glare at Brent, but the Ranger took this opportunity to report what he knew.

"That thing-"

"It's a Fusion," Trent interrupted.

"-Oh,... Thank you. Erhm, anyways. That Fusion _was_ attacking the Cul-de-Sac. It didn't take anything; it was _looking_ for something," the Ranger reported.

"Looking? Looking for what?" Trent asked.

"We're not sure; it's dead now," the Ranger answered.

I don't know why or what compelled me to do so (maybe because I knew in my heart or because my mind put it all together), but I opened my mouth and said, "It was looking for me." All eyes were on me. Realizing what I had just said, I lowered my eyes to the ground.

"You?" the twins questioned.

"Why you?" Double-D asked.

I didn't know that answer, so I kept my mouth shut. I was still trying to figure out how I knew the Fusions were looking for me.

"Because it means Fuse is after you," Dexter stated behind me. He rejoined our conversation quietly, and hearing him made me jump a little in startlement. Ignoring me, Dexter continued. "He knows of your existence and is now after you. Isn't that right?" His question was at my Nanos.

Both Nanos nodded.

"Possibly," Nano Buttercup said. "He has probably sensed your high energy and it now after you, to destroy you."

My Nano's statement (mainly the last three words) made my eyes widen, although, I should have seen it coming. From what I've heard from Dexter, Fuse wants to destroy life on Earth and consume the planet. Why should I be surprised that he wants to destroy me? Dexter didn't seem to be thinking along the same thought-line I was.

"Mhmmm. This is bad," Dexter remarked. "Fuse is acting quicker than I thought."

"So, these Fusions are after you?" Palmar asked.

I nodded.

"So _you're_ the reason that Fusion wrecked my kingdom!" Eddy blew up.

Gulping, I muttered out an apology, avoiding his eyes. I seemed to be making people angry today. I felt something grab my arm. Looking down, I found Nano Numbuh Two holding my arm. Looking up, I found myself staring at Nano Buttercup's back.

"Listen ya creep," my Nano barked. "Alice didn't ask to be chased around by Fusions, she just is. So don't get on her about something that's out of her control; it's not like she did this on purpose."

"Why you little-" Eddy growled, making a move towards my Nano.

Nano Buttercup also made a move towards Eddy. Acting quickly, I grabbed my Nano and held her in my arms, close to my body. Nano Buttercup was trying to break free of my grip, but Nano Numbuh Two was helping me hold her. Double-D was trying to hold Eddy back, but do to his weak physical strength, Brent and Trent helped hold the 'King' of the Cul-de-Sac back.

"Now everybody just calm down," Numbuh Five said as she stepped in between the two warring parties. "Numbuh Five thinks we should all sit down and have a can of soda."

"Yes, Numbuh Five is right," Dexter said. "There is much we must still discuss."

Eddy grumbled something I couldn't hear but got out of the twin's grips and stomped off, probably to complain to Rolf. The Urban Ranger and Double-D followed after their leader to make sure he didn't do anything he'd regret.

"I can't stay long," I said. "If these Fusions are after me, then I should get moving."

"Yeah. _We_ should be leaving." Palmar said, looking at me. "Remember, you're part of the group now."

I stared at him for a little while (ignoring the struggling Nano in my arms) before nodding.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "It may get dangerous."

"Danger's my middle name," he said.

I could hear Numbuh Five groan and Nano Numbuh Two laugh. Without a word, Palmar walked past me and faced the twins.

"Alrighty men," he addressed. "We're moving out. Be on your guard; Fusion are out there, ready to attack."

"Right sir!" the twins said, saluting.

"Alrighty then," Palmar said, looking over his shoulder at me. "Let's get going."

I nodded and began to follow the trio.

"Now hold on," Numbuh Five said, halting us. "Numbuh Five wants to know where the heck you're going to go."

I looked at her, stumped. Where are we going to go?

"I have a mission for all of you actually," Dexter said, stepping up. "I-"

"Dexter, why don't you wait to tell them their mission," Numbuh Five said.

"What? Why?" Dexter demanded, never having been stopped by the operative.

"It's getting late, and poor Alice has been fighting Fuse's minions all day," Numbuh Five said as she placed a hand on my arm. "Let the poor girl rest. They can go out on this mission tomorrow morning."

Dexter seemed to be mulling over before sighing and nodding.

"Very well. Let me at least explain it to them so they may leave out tomorrow; I have to return back to Dexlabs," Dexter said.

Numbuh Five nodded in agreement. The boy genius turned to us.

"Mandark has recently contacted me, saying that something was happening at his old lab. He wanted me to check it out. I want all of _you_ to check it out."

"Where's his old lab located at?" I asked.

"Genius Grove, right across from my house. Believe me, you can't miss it," Dexter instructed.

I nodded, soaking in all the information.

"Alice, when you get there tomorrow, I want you to report to me what you find, okay?"

"Yes Dexter," I said.

"How are we going to do that?" Brent asked.

"Alice, do you still have your Comlink?" Dexter asked, turning his attention to me.

I nodded, grabbing it from off my waist and showing it to him.

"Good, but let me have it. I'm going to make some adjustments," Dexter said.

I nodded again and handed it over to him. He took it and disappeared back into the empty house doing who knows what to it. A sudden ringing noise caught our attentions and discovered that it was coming from Numbuh Five. She pulled out her wireless phone and began speaking into it.

"Talk to me," she said into it. "Uh-huh. Cool your jets Numbuh One...She's in Commons... Yes... Unharmed...No no you don't...He hung up on Numbuh Five!"

I blinked and looked at the spy operative who glared at the phone before putting it away and walking over to me.

"Who was that?" Brent asked.

"Numbuh One, he's on his way here. Sounded pretty mad," Numbuh Five answered, avoiding my gaze.

I released a small sigh as my Nanos sat on my shoulders (Nano Buttercup was able to wiggle her way out of my grip). While Nano Numbuh Two looked energetic, Nano Buttercup looked exhausted. Before I could say a thing to her, a small vehicle landed before us, in the middle of the street, and a very upset looking Numbuh One hopped out and headed towards us. Towards me. I gulped and resisted the urge to hide behind Numbuh Five, who stood beside me to give me support. Nano Buttercup must have sensed my discomfort because she moved from my shoulder and floated defensively before me.

"Why did you leave the Treehouse without alerting me or my teammates?" Numbuh One demanded the minute he got close to us.

I gulped and averted my gaze from him.

"I... I... It was a spur of the moment. I had to check on my mom; I didn't think about telling anyone, I just ran here," I said, not looking at him.

"You were placed under _my_ guidance and I'm suppose to be watching you! You can't just leave like that without alerting me," Numbuh One scolded.

I bit my bottom lip and didn't answer. How degrading. A kid was telling a teenager off; he was treating me like a toddler. Did he even know that he was addressing himself instead of the team all together? Is it on purpose?

"Now Numbuh One, she was only worried for her mother, and she's perfectly fine. You shouldn't worry so much Numbuh One," Numbuh Five said.

Numbuh One sent a glare to Numbuh Five, even making the spy operative cringe and mutter a small apology.

"We've already lost a person to Fuse; we're not losing another," Numbuh One said.

"I'm sorry Numbuh One," I apologized.

"Ah, Numbuh One. Glad to see you're out. I need to talk to you," Dexter said as he appeared.

Numbuh One looked over at Dexter and nodded, his face changing slightly as he went into leader mode. Dexter walked up to me and handed me my Comlink.

"Here you are Alice, this is your new Comlink," Dexter said. "I call it, a NanoCom."

"A NanoCom?" I asked.

"Yes. It can do everything the Comlink did, but it can now house your Nanos, so they can sleep and reenergize," Dexter explained.

"How do I get them in there?" I asked.

"The same way you are able to control your weapon and make it appear and disappear," Dexter said.

I blinked, then looked at my NanoCom and closed my eyes. I began to think about my two Nanos to sleep in the device. I opened my eyes when I heard one of the boy's whisper, "Whoa." I saw the device glowing a blue before it disappeared, and my Nanos were gone as well. Dexter walked off to speak with Numbuh One. With the genius gone, I began to look through the NanoCom, wondering what was in here. I then came upon "Nano" and pushed it. I was able to see my two Nanos (more of a chibi size) floating around in the device. I smiled and placed the circular device on my waist, allowing my Nanos to sleep. Double-D had returned to us at that moment while Dexter left, having discussed with Numbuh One who only sent my a look before calling for Numbuh Five. She too had to leave and go back to Sector V. I was a little sad to see her go, but she had to. So, that only left myself, the twins and their boss, and Double-D, who kindly led us back to the house where we could rest for the night. We went to bed early so as to catch up on our sleep.

We'd be leaving tomorrow morning to begin our journey.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. This is the longest chapter yet. Sorry if it was confusing or too quick. If you have questions, I'll do my best to answer. So, we've now met her traveling pals: **Palmar Whitts**, and the twins **Brent **and** Trent Gemini**. Also, **Viper Coyote** is owned by **hdikes**. I'm sorry if her character doesn't fit her personality, but I swear she get's better. Right now, she's just jealous that Dexter is concentrating on another girl. We shall be seeing more of her soon. And why is Numbuh One so upset?**

**Next chapter will deal with her gaining two (or three) new Nanos (and maybe meet new people, unsure at this point).**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	7. Group Effort at Beating Fusions

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: So, same as always. **Viper **appears again, and those of you who sent characters in, I promise they'll appear soon. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Glad you're all liking it so far. Now then, this story will be in Alice's POV, unless specified either up here or somewhere in the story. So, let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Seven:** Group Effort at Beating Fusions

* * *

Our group woke up early the next morning and we left the Cul-de-Sac just as the sun was rising. We headed towards the Peach Creek Commons bus stop with Rolf as our guide, who was animatedly talking, catching only Brent's attention as the two spoke. The duo walked in front of us, leading the way, with myself and Palmar bringing up the rear. We made it to the bus stop, hopped onto the platform and waited two minutes before a bus finally came. We left Rolf at the platform and headed for Genius Grove via the bus. As we sat on the bus, stopping at the first stop, I was caught off guard by Palmar's question.

"Are they close friends?"

"Huh?" I questioned, looking at the teen sitting across from me.

"All those people. You know, Dexter, Numbuh Five, Numbuh One, even Rolf. Are they all close friends? They seemed protective of you," Palmar said. "I mean, boy genius yesterday pulled me aside to warn me."

I blinked and thought about it more closely. Were they my close friends? I've barely known them for three days, yet they _did_ seem protective of me. Why? Am I... important to them? That thought was thrown out the window the minute it came. Important? How can somebody who doesn't even know _what_ (for those who forgot, I'm an alien but I don't know what alien species) they are be important? But still...

"I... I don't have an answer," I replied, wrapping my arms around my legs.

I didn't look up to see the look on Palmar's face. I didn't really have an answer, so I wasn't lying. But his question had made me think. Why _was_ everyone acting so protective? Dexter didn't look like he was trusting Palmar and his friends and Numbuh One nearly flipped his lid on me yesterday, and this morning Rolf walked us to the bus stop, even though it was less than a mile from the fortress. Why? Did they really care for me,... or did they only care for me because, as Dexter puts it, "I'm the only one who can defeat Fuse"?

I shook the thought out of my head, scolding myself for thinking such negative thoughts. I shouldn't think like that, not to them. I was taken out of my thoughts by the twins who gently shook my shoulder, alerting me that we were at Genius Grove. Considering that the bus stop was at the far end of the small suburbs, we had to jump. We jumped off the bus and landed safely on the ground, defying laws of physics and gravity. We headed to Dexter's lab first, to meet up with Dee Dee. She knew how to get into Mandark's old lab (it _really_ wasn't that hard to miss). She greeted us kindly, told us how to get in, and we headed over. As we stood on the sidewalk before the lab, I took in notice of something. Weird brain-looking things were attached to most of the building and the area around it. No monsters in sight, but I kept my guard up. And, it looked like a lot of Fusion Matter was around (there was even a puddle!). Palmar led us to the small door that would lead us into Mandark's underground lab (he apparently had an underground lab).

As we entered the lab, my eyes widened and I clasped my hand over my mouth so it could stop the eep that almost left my mouth. Palmar led us to a small corridor that wasn't occupied by over-grown, mechanical spiders. Interestingly, Dexlabs was written on the side. I grabbed my NanoCom and immediately called Dexter as the boys made a strategy plan.

"Yes?" Dexter asked. "Awh, Alice. How are you?"

"We're in Mandark's lab," I whispered, keeping my voice low. "There's weird spider-looking Monsters here."

"Hmm... Yes. Viper sent me a photo of one fitting that description," Dexter said.

"Hey, keep it down boy genius," Palmar snapped in a whisper.

Dexter fumed at the teen, but he calmed down once I got his attention again.

"Why would so many be here?" I asked.

"How many are there?" Dexter questioned, much quieter than before.

"From the looks of it, three to ten," Trent responded.

Dexter nodded, "They may be looking for something. While I am a rival with Mandark, I will acknowledge his intelligence. His devices are devastating; they may be after his devices."

"So, we should keep them away from his devices," I muttered. "Okay. I gotta go."

"Understood. Update me when you are through," Dexter said before ending the transmission.

I placed my NanoCom on my belt and looked at the three boys.

"Kill all those spiders before they can get to us, understand?" Palmar said.

We all nodded, readying our weapons. As the boys jumped out of the hallway, something green caught my attention. I turned and saw the glimpse of something green and black stalk down at the end of the corridor. Instead of following my travelling buddies, I ran down the hallway and called out my Nano Buttercup, who flexed as she came out. I rounded the corner and looked at what was down the corridor. My eyes widened as I recognized it to be a Fusion. And looking closely, I discovered it to be a Fusion doppelganger of Eddy. The Fusion turned and saw me. Releasing a growl, it stalked towards me. I went into action. I had Nano Buttercup stun the Fusion in place, then began to shoot at the Fusion. The Fusion shook out of its stun and lunged at me, sending its goo balls at me. I was able to dodge them, but it was hard to dodge and shoot. Just as the Fusion got close to me, I was able to deliver the final blow that turned it into Fusion Matter. The matter swirled before my face and turned into a Nano Eddy.

"Hiya!" the Nano said.

"Hi," I said to him, a small smile on my face.

"Alice! Alice!" I heard voices calling.

I looked down the corridor I had just been in and found Brent running towards me.

"There you are," he said as he got closer to me. "We wondered where you went. Hey, is that a new Nano?"

I nodded, "Yes. It's Nano Eddy."

"So then, there was a Fusion?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Wow! We better go tell the others. Come on!" he said, grabbing my wrist and guiding me towards the other two.

We both arrived to where the two boys were standing, in an open clearing. No monsters in sight.

"Where'd you go?" Palmar questioned.

"Alice took down a Fusion by herself! See the new Nano?" Brent asked.

"Another Fusion and Nano?" Palmar asked.

"Maybe that's why they're here," Trent spoke up. "Perhaps it was Fusion Eddy who was looking for something and these Fusion spiders were here to protect the Fusion."

"Well they failed," Brent said.

"Doesn't matter. We accomplished Dexter's mission, and fairly quick too. Let's head back out," Palmar led, walking us back to the opening.

When we exited Mandark's old laboratory and headed for Dexter's house, I grabbed my NanoCom and called up Dexter, and informed him on everything.

"So, there was another Fusion," Dexter said, looking troubled. "You were able to take care of it?"

I nodded my head.

"That's good to hear," Dexter said with a prideful smile. "Oh, that reminds me. Dee Dee."

"Yeah Dexter?" Dee Dee asked, looking at my NanoCom.

"Has it come in yet?" he questioned.

"Yep! Just got in not too long ago. Hold on, I'll go get it," Dee Dee said as she skipped out the front door.

"What's here?" I asked.

"Something that I believe will help you on your journey," Dexter answered cryptically.

My question was answered when Dee Dee skipped back in, holding a small booklet. She handed me the booklet, which was filled with digital pages. I flipped through the pages and was shocked to see what was in there. There were pictures of the different monsters (even the ones I fought yesterday and saw today, and there was even that brain-looking thing) with names and where they're located.

"I made this book so we'd be able to identify what monster's we're fighting," Dexter said. "That's the first copy; I sent it to you."

I felt a bit special, but pushed that down as I handed the book to the boys, allowing them to flip through it. I'll study it later.

"Dexter, I noticed something about Mandark's lab," I began. "It looks like it had been taken over by Fusions. Those... Terrafusers are nearly everywhere on the lab and there's a puddle of Fusion matter."

"Hmm. Yes. I've been getting the same reports around the world. I'm coming up with a plan to contain the contaminated areas," Dexter explained. "Don't worry yourself with such trivial problems, just continue your mission to gain as much Nanos as you can and to defeat Fuse. Also, since I don't know all the Fusions out there, I think it'd be best if you kept your own log of the Fusions you beat. We may be able to keep track of them that way."

I nodded, never realizing collecting Nanos was part of my mission.

"Well, now what do we do boy genius?" Palmar asked. "I hope you didn't think that this little mission of yours would take all day?"

Dexter sent an annoyed glare at Palmar but turned his attention back on me.

"I've gotten a message from a man named Father. He says his Delightful Developments construction site is under attack," Dexter explained. "He wants someone to check it out. It is under attack by Heavy Pinchers."

"Father?" I questioned.

"Who goes by the name Father?" Brent asked his brother.

"Unimportant. Your mission is to check it out and stop as much of the Pinchers as you can. Relay to me if the construction site is as bad as Mandark's lab," he said. "Dexter out."

"Alright you guys, it looks like we're going back to Commons," Palmar said.

"Actually, we're off to Estates," I corrected.

"Doesn't matter. We're off," he said.

The twins followed their leader without a word. I thanked Dee Dee for her hospitality before following the group.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter leaned back in his chair after having his discussion with Alice. He'd hope the book would come in handy for her. Now he just needed to print more copies and send them off. Maybe he should make a public announcement or something.

He took off his glasses and sighed quietly to himself. This war that they were having with Fuse was only in its second day, yet it already felt like ages. Fuse had unleashed hell on Earth, attacking with all his might. Communications were cut off from the Kids Next Door Moonbase, and there was no way they'd be able to get more operatives to Earth. What they had is what they'd get. There was still no word from Atomic Betty or the Galactic Guardians or the person that sent the video of Fuse in. The only upside was that Providence would be sending their agents to help the best they could, and Dexter was manufacturing more Dexbots to send around the world.

Their best bet to win this war was Alice. Dexter still wasn't sure what kind of alien she was, but he assumed she had to have some kind of power (based on Ben whose aliens had some kind of power). Until she was able to unleash her powers, they'd have to provide back up. Taking on the battle alone was dangerous, and Numbuh One would kill him if he allowed her to fight it alone. Hmm...

"Hey Dex," Viper's voice cut through. "Whatcha doing genius?"

"Hello Viper," Dexter said, spinning his chair around to face his friend. "I was coming up with what I could do to help Alice in the war."

Viper's face flashed a moment of upset but it returned to a neutral look as she smiled at her friend.

"Well, why don't you call on more people to fight this war instead of just the heroes and this girl? I'm sure there are fighters out there willing to fight Fuse," Viper suggested.

Dexter regarded his friend with a hard look to read before nodding.

"A brilliant idea. It'll alleviate some of the pressure on Alice and will help to reduce the Fusion Monster population," Dexter said, as if to confirm it with himself. "Yes, I will hold a conference to call fighters of all ages to help."

"You know I'm ready to take on those monsters! I may even be able to take on those Fusions. One of those Monsters took your wrench," Viper said.

Dexter nodded; the robbery had only happened sometime yesterday when he was gone.

"That may be appropriate, but the Fusions are to be left to Alice," Dexter said. "Fuse is targeting her to wipe her out."

_Though,_ he thought. _I wonder why he hasn't gone after Ben. Wouldn't he be a bigger threat than Alice? What makes her so special that Fuse sends monsters to steal something from us, turn it into Fusions, and have these Fusions go after her?_

Viper noticed how deep in thought he was and decided to take her leave. If she was going to be battling these Monsters, she might as well go to Candy Cove. After all, her grandpa called her up, babbling to her that his precious ship was in trouble.

_And I know the perfect people to help me,_ she thought. _I'll prove myself to Dexter. What can this girl do that I can't?_

Shortly after she left, Dexter aroused from his thoughts and began a speech before heading off to speak and gather recruits for the war.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

Peach Creeks Estates was still barren. There were barely any homes and a lot of open space. Maybe the Monsters liked the open space? Our group of four headed down the street to the development construction site, where we could see Heavy Pinchers walking around. I took notice that a few of the developing houses were covered in goo and Terrafusers.

"Alice! Move!" Palmar ordered.

I looked up to the right to see three Heavy Pinchers charging at us. I moved out of the way and called on my weapon and joined in on shooting the monsters. We took them down within minutes, turning them into Fusion goo.

"Man. Those were some big monsters," Brent commented.

"There's more," Trent said.

I looked to see not only more Heavy Pinchers run at us, but Maelstrom Creepers and Crash Loaders (I studied the book on the way here) running at us. We stood in a circle, our backs touching and our weapons aimed at the oncoming Monsters. We were able to turn them back to Matter without gaining a scratch.

"Did we beat them?" Brent questioned.

"What are you brats doing here?" a voice demanded, making me jump.

I grabbed onto the nearest arm I could, which happened to be Palmar, as we looked at the newcomer. This person looked strange. He was completely black with a black smoke pipe and yellow eyes. I've never seen someone in complete black from head to toe. Behind him was five children that looked to be the same age as Sector V. They looked well proper and walked in complete unison (and closely together) towards us. They looked familiar.

"What are you children doing near my development site?" the man demanded, discovering to be Father.

"Father, I presume?" Trent asked.

"And we're not kids. Alice and I are teenagers," Palmar spoke up, nodding his head at me.

Father's eyes looked to me. I couldn't read his eyes, but I could tell they were trained on me, and it freaked me out. I squirmed a little under his gaze.

"Alice, eh?" he questioned.

"Is she of importance, Father?" the five children questioned in unison.

"For the time being, my Delightful Children," Father said to them.

Delightful Children! They're the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. No wonder they're recognizable.

"So. You four were sent by Dexter?" Father questioned.

He seemed to have taken a more softer tone, not enough that I'd warm up to him, but softer than his harsh tone before. We nodded.

"Alright then. Find out what caused those Monsters to attack my homes and get rid of them. Report back to me when you discover the problem," Father instructed. He turned on his heel and left with his children following him.

"Well, that was easy," Brent said.

"Uhhh Alice?" Palmar questioned. "You can let go of my arm now."

I noticed that I was holding his arm and quickly released my hold on it, blushing a little in embarrassment. I avoided eye contact with him as we headed to the construction area that was covered completely by Fusion Matter. It looked like Mandark's lab. I tried to contact Dexter, to report to him what we found, but he wouldn't answer. I looked at my teammates in dismay.

"I can't contact him."

"That's alright. We'll get him later. Let's take a look around," Palmar suggested. "Everyone split up."

We nodded and began to look around the Fusion Matter infested area. Why was this place targeted so heavily? What of importance was here? My thoughts were interrupted by the strangest sight. Green tentacle-looking things were waving in the air. It was in an almost plasma pond. I blinked and stepped over to it. I reached out and touched one of the tentacles, and was shocked as a strange feeling overcame me. The tentacles began to circle around me, clinging to my body as it began to encase me in black. The last thing I heard before falling completely into the dark was someone shouting my name.

When I regained vision, I found myself staring at brown mountains. It seemed to be the only thing encasing my immediate area. My teammates were not near me, and I had no idea how I got here, other than remembering touching one of the green, Fusion tentacles. Before I could, Nano Buttercup appeared from out of my NanoCom and situated herself on my shoulder, offering me encouragement. She must have easily sensed my fear and discomfort of being in this new and strange place.

"No worries Alice," she said. "I've got your back."

"Th-thanks," I said to her with a smile. "I guess I should try and find a way out."

"Hey, do you hear that?" my Nano questioned.

"Hear what?" I questioned, though I quieted down when I immediately heard the sound of footsteps walking on the gravel.

I walked around the corner as quietly as I could and gasped when I saw Crash Loaders walking around.

"More Monsters?" I questioned Nano Buttercup in a quiet voice.

"Let me at 'em!" Nano Buttercup whispered, ready for a fight.

I smiled at her and shook my head, leaning back over to see the Monsters, wondering why so many were here. My eyes widened as they started charging at me. I began to shoot at them as quickly as I could, having my Nano stun them. I was able to kill the monsters, leaving me in an empty area.

"We sure took care of 'em," Nano Buttercup said proudly.

"I hope not to run into more of them."

"Wha? But I want to fight more of them," my first Nano complained.

I shook my head at my Nano and continued walking, trying to find a way out. My Nano grew bored and sat on my head, hmphing at not being able to play. In all honesty, I didn't like fighting. Something about it scared me, and I was deeply worried about having to fight Fuse. Couldn't Dexter find someone else to be a hero? I'm no hero.

As we rounded the corner, I stopped and stumbled back, doing my best not to be seen by the Monster. No, scratch that, the Fusion. Fusion Eduardo was walking around the open space, its mind not on anything. From behind it, I could see the same tentacles waving. That _had_ to be an exit. But,... I had to defeat Fusion Eduardo before I could leave. I looked at my Nano, who was cracking her knuckles.

"Ready?" I asked.

Nano Buttercup cracked her knuckles with a smirk and nodded, "Ready."

I nodded back and readied my weapon. When I jumped from behind my hiding spot, I had the element of surprise, catching the Fusion off guard. My Nano then used her ability, stunning the Fusion and giving me extra time to shoot at it. The Fusion came to and lunged at me, trying to hit me with its energy balls. I managed to dodge them, but only narrowly as I fired back. Like all the other Fusions, I defeated the Fusion imposter and it turned into Fusion Matter that later changed into Nano Eduardo, my second Nano of the day. The cute little guy giggled and floated close to me.

"_Hola senorita_," he greeted with a giggle at the end.

I smiled back and greeted him back before placing him in my NanoCom and returning Nano Butterup to it. With my Nanos safely away and finding no other Monsters in sight, I hightailed it out of there and over to the tentacles which I preformed the same process as before. I found myself once again being entwined by the tentacles, but this time, found myself in the construction homes. A hand roughly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from the tentacles and turned me around to face the owner. An upset Palmar was staring at me.

"Where did you go?" he demanded.

"Uhm..." I stalled, trying to come up with an answer. Where _was_ I? "Erhm... Underground?"

"Don't go near those things without us again, got it?" he said, not caring for my answer. "We're a team now, and we have to stick together. Dexter made it perfectly clear that I'm to not let you out of my sights."

_Why? Why must I be watched? What importance am I?_

I didn't voice my thoughts. I bit my tongue and nodded, adverting my eyes downward. I was only saved from more reprimanding by the sound of my NanoCom going off. I grabbed it and saw that it was a video message from Dexter, so I activated it. The boy genius came on screen.

"Alice, there you are!" he said in a relieved voice. "I have been trying to contact you for minutes. What happened?"

"I-I was underground," I answered, avoiding Palmar's gaze.

"What were you doing down there?" he questioned.

"I touched one of those," I showed him the tentacles, "and ended up underground where I encountered Fusion Eduardo."

"Another Fusion?" Dexter asked.

"I think we're trying for a world record of two Fusions a day," Brent jokingly said.

His brother didn't appreciate the joke and elbowed him in the ribs, earning a small groan from the twin.

"Another Fusion you say?" Dexter asked. "So that's why Father's construction zone was covered in Matter."

"What in Sam hill is a Fusion?" Father's voice demanded from behind us.

I jumped and nearly dropped my NanoCom as I turned to face Father. He looked furious, even if I couldn't see his mouth. I gulped and allowed a calm Dexter to explain everything to Father, who still looked displeased.

"So a Fusion did all of _this?_" he demanded. "To _my_ homes!"

I jumped back in fear when I saw Father, literally, burst into flames. The others seemed calmer than myself.

"How are you going to _fix_ it?" he continued in a demanding voice, his fire disappearing.

"I'm still working on that right now," Dexter calmly stated. "You will just have to be patient; other places around the world have reported situations like yours."

"Yeah? Well are any of them else businesses?" Father demanded, though he wasn't really looking for an answer. He turned and stalked off, muttering about how he hated children.

I released a sigh and calmed my breathing, happy to have survived yet another Father encounter.

"Alice?" Dexter asked, catching my attention. "Were you down there by yourself?" I gulped, looked sideways at Palmar and the guys before looking back and nodding. He looked displeased. "I want you to not go near those Fusion Portals without your teammates, got it?"

I was being reprimanded and treated like a child... again. I bit my tongue once again and nodded. Saying all he needed to say, he congratulated us on our mission and ended the transmission, having no new missions for us. It was all for the best, I suppose, it was getting late again. With the Cul-de-Sac nearby, we headed over and returned back to the home. Palmar went off and grabbed supplies from Urban Rangers that we'd need on the trip, mainly sleeping bags ("In case there's nowhere to sleep," he had reasoned). We turned in early for the evening, unsure of how early we'd have to get up, or where we'd have to go.

**

* * *

**

A/N: 'Nother chapter down. I'm upset, though it's not because of the chapter. My ipod is acting up and pissing me the hell off. So, now I'm going to bed angry. Grrr... Anyways, how was the chapter? I think I rushed it, and I don't like how I ended it. Still, what do you all think? I personally like the very beginning because I don't know why, but I like playing around with Alice and making her self-conscious and constantly belittling herself. I've seen some (keyword some) fanfics where the character, though it has its faults, still sound perfect and the only one to save the world, and while I am also having this character save the world, I'm still making it hard for herself. Don't know, just found that fun. I think I have a weird twisted mind.

**Next chapter will focus mainly on Pokey Oaks Junior High, and the chapter after that will include two new characters (unfortunately not joining the group). Who are these mystery fighters? Well you'll have to see to find out.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	8. School Ground Rules

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hola everyone! How is everyone? I'm glad you people enjoyed my last chapter and are enjoying this story so far. The beginning of this chapter is my personal favorite. Don't know why, but I can't I love it so! So, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Eight:** School Ground Rules

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_**Red... dark as blood... staring... glaring...**_

_**Fighting... Green... bright as grass... reaches...**_

_**Laughing... crying... strangling... killing...**_

_**Replace... replace...**_

_**Die...**_

I woke with a fright, sitting up in my bed with sweat rolling down my face. I breathed in and out, my body shaking at my dream-nightmare. I was thankful that Rolf made the boys sleep in a different room; I didn't want any of them to see me like this. I check the clock, and seeing that it was early, I headed for the shower to calm myself. The nightmare...it scared me! I got out and made myself ready before heading out of the house, being greeted by the still awakening dawn. The purple and orange colored sky looked very beautiful this morning. As I walked down the empty road, I saw something that didn't exactly surprise me: Eddy was trying to scam an unsuspecting Ranger. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"Eddy, what are you doing?" I asked as I stepped closer to them. "Why are you trying to scam someone?"

"Scam?" the Ranger asked in confusion.

"Shh!" Eddy hissed at me.

The Ranger, upset at being tricked, turned and walked away in anger, sending me a thankful look as he passed by. Eddy glared at me, making me take a step back.

"S-sorry Eddy, but it's not right that you're trying to scam someone," I reasoned. "Not with this war going on."

"Aren't you suppose to be somewhere else?" he demanded. "Last time you were here, you ruined my kingdom."

"I didn't mean to do it on purpose," I said weakly in my defense.

Just then, my NanoCom beeped and glowed, a Nano appearing by my side. Eddy blinked and looked at it in confusion.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's my Nano, Nano Eddy," I explained.

"That's me?" Eddy asked before grinning as he took a better look of the Nano. "I look _good_."

"Of course!" the Nano replied.

I shook my head with a small smile, not surprised by his narcissism. Though I considered him a friend, I couldn't deny his fault. I allowed my Nano and his person to converse before I saw Brent walk out of the house with a yawn. He noticed me and waved me over. I returned my Nano, said a few words to Eddy (who responded kindly) and headed over to the twin.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," I greeted back. "Are the others up?"

"Getting ready. Trent's trying to cook," Brent said.

"He can cook?"

"I said try."

I smiled a little and opened the door. A gush of smoke greeted me, making my hand go to my mouth as I coughed, stepping back to allow the smoke to escape. Brent ran in, yelling at Trent for "burning the house down!" When I saw the coast was clear, I entered the home and found Trent throwing away the burnt item in the trash can. Brent was chewing him out, though Trent looked unamused.

"Maybe we can go out and get food?" I suggested.

"That sounds good. Did Dexter send you anything?" Palmar asked as he exited his room.

I grabbed my NanoCom and looked through it, surprised to see that Dexter had in fact sent me something. I read-aloud what Dexter wanted from us: Pokey Oaks Junior High is covered in Fusion Matter and the Monsters in the area have been acting weird. A friend of Blossom's reported that some of the Monsters stole the ingredients that made the Powerpuff Girls. We had to go and retrieve the items, then head into the school and see what the trouble is.

"School?" Brent and Palmar groaned.

"A school's been under attack! Unacceptable!" Trent said in disgust. "Let's go and stop these vile monsters that did such a thing."

I watched in surprise as Trent walked past me and out the door, motioning with his hand for us to follow. I exited the house with Brent and Palmar lazily following. As we were heading for the fortress doors in the design of Plank, a voice stopped us and made us look at the owner. Eddy was running up behind us.

"Eddy?" I said, surprised.

"Where do you four think you're off to?" he asked when he arrived.

"Dexter wants us to check out the school," Palmar answered.

"You're heading off? You do know there's Fusions out there," Eddy said.

Was Eddy... worried about us? I blinked, only remembering he had been this nice after the Cul-de-Sac kids accepted him after seeing the treatment he received from his brother.*

"We know that," Brent answered.

"But Eddy, we have to go out there and stop the Fusions," I explained.

Eddy released some air and crossed his arms, turning away from us.

"Whatever. Just don't get blown up or anything," he said.

I only stared at him in amazement as he walked down the street and back to his throne. Jimmy, clad in his Ranger suit, was following beside him, perhaps alerting him of what he knew. I smiled a little and followed my team to the doors, where Jonny and Plank were standing watch ("A piece of wood is watching the fortress?" Brent questioned. "Plank is special," I answered simply). Getting to the school was easy; not many Monsters were out to bother us. When we reached the school, I did notice something out of the ordinary: a giant force-field was placed around it and there was a pad with a Dexbot on both sides of the force-field.

"What's going on here?" Palmar asked.

Not knowing the answer, I did what I could. I grabbed my NanoCom and called Dexter. He came on the screen, not sleepy as I had thought he would be.

"Good morning Alice," he greeted. "Is there trouble?"

"Good morning. Dexter, what happened to the school?" I asked.

"It is an Infected Zone now. Too much matter is built up within it, so I have set up these force-fields and have called them Infected Zones. It's to keep Fusions inside," Dexter explained.

"So Fusions live in these Infected Zones now?" Trent asked.

"That is correct," Dexter said.

My NanoCom suddenly began to beep, making me drop it in surprise. Palmar was quick and grabbed it, saving it from the fall. He handed it back to me. The screen read: Incoming message from Blossom. Furrowing my eyebrows, I touched the screen, and Blossom appeared on my screen.

"Alice, right?" she asked in her leader tone that sounded like Numbuh One's.

"Y-yes," I said, feeling slightly awkward. "Hello."

"Are you are at the school?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Good. As you know, some Monsters stole items from the Professor," Blossom continued.

"Sugar, spice, and everything nice," Brent said.

"Did they take the Chemical X?" Trent asked.

"Thankfully, no. The Professor hid it well. I need you to get the items, then return them to me. I'm at the Treehouse with Numbuh Two," Blossom said. "Once you return them to me, we'll discuss what will happen from there. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," I said while the three boys nodded.

"Good," she said. "Blossom out."

"You know, they're Earth's greatest heroes, yet we're doing all the work," Palmar said aloud. "Something's not right there."

"It's fine," I said, smiling meekly. "They're busy."

"Busy my-"

"The Monsters should be in the area, right?" Trent asked, interrupting Palmar and his rude comment. "Let's start with the Ball-Peen Meanies over there."

The Ball-Peen Meanies were walking around in groups of three near the houses that were either abandoned or had residence. We walked as a group and snuck up on a group of three. We shot, and were able to kill them quickly and easily. Nothing. We tried the next group and were happy to find the Sugar. We then attacked Mean Behemoths (I'd be lying if I didn't say I was scared when facing them). They were harder to fight, but we were able to defeat them and collected the Spice they dropped. All that left was Everything Nice, so we went after the Pesky Ponies, who dropped the item. With all three items collected, we hurried to the Treehouse. I was surprised when I saw it. I had only been away from the place for two days, and it had changed so much. Numbuh Two was able to rise the Treehouse up from the ground. Two large devices were what was keeping it up. Pads were around the area. Trent headed to the pads and jumped on one, causing him to jump into the air and land on the grassy ground around the Treehouse. The rest of us follow after him. Walking around the Treehouse, we found Blossom talking with Numbuh Two.

"Alice!" Numbuh Two said when he saw me, waving his hand. "You're here."

"Did you get the items?" Blossom asked.

We handed the items to her and couldn't mistake seeing the relieved look on her face.

"Good, they're all here," she said.

"But why were they stolen in the first place?" Brent questioned.

"Don't know, but we have another problem. Not too long ago, after the raid on my house, some Monsters took my hair bow," she said.

"A Fusion," I said, knowing that was where it was going.

"Must be in the Infected Zone," Palmar said, reading my thoughts.

"No worries, us exterminators will take care of that nasty Fusion," the twins said in unison.

"There may be two Fusion Portals inside," Numbuh Two said.

"Hm?"

"Wilt called us not too long ago; said that his favorite basketball was stolen," Numbuh Two informed.

"So there may be another Fusion in the area," Palmar concluded.

Numbuh Two nodded, "And he said that some Fizzy Rox's were stolen as well. The Fusion must have it."

"No worries. We'll take care of Fusion Blossom and then head for Fusion Wilt. _All together_," Palmar said, looking at me.

The last part was directed at me, making me look down in shame.

"Two Fusions in one day?" Blossom asked with surprise in her voice.

"We've done it before, we can do it again," the twins said. "But wish us luck anyways!"

With that, we departed for the school. We made it in good timing and stepped on the platform. The Dexbot typed on a small panel and before we knew it, we were teleported from that pad to the pad inside the Infected Zone.

"Ugh. And I thought school was ugly before," Brent commented, earning a backhand from his brother. "Ow!"

"So, where's the portal?" Trent asked.

"Over there," I answered, pointing at the front of the school.

Palmar led the way, all of us avoiding the Fusion Manner staining the ground and jumping on the floating pad. We proceeded over the large ditch via the floating objects until we came upon the front of the school. We landed next to the Fusion Portal and, as one, stepped onto the pad and touched the tentacles. They circled around us and teleported us underground.

"Wow. So this is their lair?" Brent questioned.

"No time to look around. We need to beat this Fusion and head out to beat the other one," Palmar instructed as he led the way.

He rounded the corner, but backpedaled, almost crashing into the twins.

"Caterplugs," he warned.

"They must be here, protecting the Fusion, like with Fusion Eddy," Trent offered.

"Whatever reason they're doing here, let's kill them," Palmar said, taking out his weapon.

We began killing the Caterplugs who attacked back, but couldn't hit us. While this was going on, I caught sight of the Fusion floating around. It was Fusion Blossom. Thinking quickly, I ran towards the open area, leaving the others to take on the Monsters. Fusion Blossom didn't notice me, allowing me to have the upper hand as I shot at it. It was not happy and released a yell. From its eyes, it shot laser beams at me. I dodged them the best I could, but one beam was able to scrap the side of my arm, making a gash. My other hand grabbed the gash as I released a hiss of pain. I looked up to see the Fusion advancing on me. I level my weapon and shot at the Fusion, causing it to continually release howls of pain when it was hit. It was about to punch me, but was stopped when more beams hit it, coming from other weapons. We defeated the Fusion, which turned into a Nano that floated before me.

"Hi!" Nano Blossom greeted happily.

"Hi," I said.

"So, it was Fusion Blossom," Palmar said.

"Mhm," I said with a nod.

"*Gasp* You're hurt!" my new Nano exclaimed, pointing at my gash.

"Huh? Oh, it's fine," I said, my hand trying to cover it.

I noticed Palmar's look, and he looked annoyed if not worried.

"This is why we stay as a team. You can get hurt," Palmar scolded.

I looked away; was I really being scolded again? Nano Blossom disappeared and a new Nano took her place. It was Nano Eduardo.

"_iSenorita!_ You are hurt?" he questioned.

"I'm fine Nano Eduardo. I'll get it fixed up-" my sentence was stopped when I noticed Nano Eduardo raising his arms into the air and his claws glow.

My wound began to glow, and before our eyes, it healed up completely. I blinked, then looked at my Nano.

"You... you healed me?" I asked.

"_Si senorita_. I heal you," Nano Eduardo answered, floating close to me. "It's what I do."

"How cool!" Brent said.

"A healing Nano," Trent commented.

"Well, with you healed, let's head back to the school and look for Fusion Wilt's portal," Palmar said. He looked around for a moment before looking at me. "How do we get out of here?"

I smiled and guided him to the Fusion Portal that was across from us. Before I stepped on the portal, I returned my Nano to the NanoCom. As a group, we stepped on the portal and exited the underground lair and were back in the front of the school.

"Now on to find Fusion Wilt's lair," Palmar announced.

My NanoCom suddenly sounded, making me pick it up and hold it in my palm. I touched the screen and Wilt's face suddenly appeared on my screen. He looked apologetic. I knew him on a friendly term.

"Hi Wilt," I greeted.

"Hello Alice," he greeted. "Uhm... I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."

"The Fizzy Roxs!" Brent said, suddenly remembering the candy.

"Yes. I believe a Fusion took it. If it's not too much trouble, do you think you can look for it in the school? If it's not too troubling," Wilt requested.

"No problem Wilt," I responded.

"Oh thank you so much," Wilt said, a smile on his face. "I have to be going now. I hope it's no trouble to you. Bye."

The transmission ended, and no sooner than it did, Numbuh Two appeared on the screen.

"Alice, are you looking for the Fizzy Roxs?" Numbuh Two asked.

"Mhm."

"Check for a treasure chest around there. Some reports say they saw Fusion Wilt carrying a treasure chest stolen from Stickybeard's ship," Numbuh Two reported. "I'd check there."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for the information Numbuh Two."

"No problem," he replied before ending the transmission.

"So, we have to find a treasure chest?" Trent asked.

"I think I saw a chest that fits that description over by the tennis courts," Brent stated.

"Let's check it out," Palmar said, leading the way again.

We made our way back on the floating objects and over to a jump pad that allowed us to jump over the fence and onto the floating objects that were over the basketball courts. Using the floating objects that acted as platforms, we landed in front of the treasure chest that was on the tennis courts and beside a stack of wooden crates. Brent bent down and opened the chest.

"It's empty!" he announced in shock.

"Empty?" I asked, troubled.

"The Fusion must still have them," Palmar said. "Let's find the portal. Alice, call Numbuh Two. See if he can find the portal for us."

I nodded and did as instructed. Numbuh Two happily agreed to do my request and came back with the results.

"Okay. The portal is beside a truck, on the other side of the school," Numbuh Two said.

"All the way on the other side of the school?" Brent whined.

Numbuh Two nodded.

"Thank you Numbuh Two," I said.

"No problem Alice. Call me whenever you need my help," he said, ending the transmission.

"Alright team," Palmar said as he hopped on a jump pad and landed on a floating platform. "Let's go."

We jumped along the infected zone and to the other side of the school, where we found a portal beside a truck. We stepped onto the portal and entered the underground lair. As we walked through the lair, we came upon Candy Buccaneers. We killed them and made a path that was leading to where Fusion Wilt would be. As we killed one of them, I noticed Fizzy Rox laying on the ground. Bending down, I picked it up.

"It's the candy," I said.

"Put in your pack and follow us," Palmar ordered.

I did as he said quickly and followed to catch up. We ran into the clearing and found Fusion Wilt waiting for us. It shot at us, making us scatter. I aimed my weapon and shot at the Fusion first, gaining its attention as it advanced on me, shooting its gooey balls. I dodged and managed not to get hit again. The others joined in, and like all the other Fusions, we were able to turn it into Fusion Matter, which turned into Nano Wilt.

"Hi," he greeted. "My name's Nano Wilt. Is that okay?"

I smiled and held him in my arms.

"He's so cute," I commented, earning a chuckle from the Nano.

"Let's get out of here and return the candy," Palmar said, heading for the portal.

I smiled, placed my Nano away, and followed him to the portal. We exited the portal and left the school grounds, bidding farewells to the Dexbots. We were heading back to Sector V to see if there was anything more Numbuh Two needed from us. He didn't, but said we should take the candy back to the Cul-de-Sac; Wilt was there. We left Sector V and headed into the Cul-de-Sac, surprised to see the red Imaginary Friend beside the throne.

"Hello friends!" Wilt greeted. "I'm so happy to see you safe. That's okay, right?"

"Yes Wilt," I said kindly. I then handed him the candy. "Here's the Fizzy Roxs."

"Wow! Thanks so much Alice," Wilt said. "I knew I could count on you. What are we going to do now, if you don't mind me asking."

"To get breakfast!" Brent answered before I could.

He went off to find food with his brother and Palmar. I just smiled a little and looked at Wilt.

"At this point, I guess eating. I'm waiting for Dexter call us for assistance."

"Then you should rest; rest is good for you. You have a long journey before you, and resting will help," Wilt advised.

I smiled and nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea Wilt," I said, "Thanks."

Wilt smiled at me, but my attention was pulled away from him by Double-D, who looked frantic. He apparently heard about the school and wanted to know if it was alright. I shouldn't have answered him. When he learned of the answer, he fell down and went a deathly pale white.

Maybe I should answer people carefully.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter found himself sitting in front of his computer panel, his mind deep in thought. So many questions were swirling in his head, trying to figure out how they would win the war. He closed his eyes and sunk into his chair some more.

"Hey boy genius," Ben called from behind.

Dexter opened his eyes and swiveled around to face Ben.

"You okay? You look tired," Ben said.

"I'm alright," Dexter said, waving off the concern. "I'm glad you could make it from Offworld Plaza."

"I gotta get back, I don't like leaving Dark with Vilgax at the hospital," Ben informed.

"I will make this short. Has your Ultramatrix been acting up?"

"Unfortunately. I can't use it," Ben answered. "Is that why you called me?"

"No, just a question," Dexter said. "I'm thinking of starting a small organization, very small. Four or five perhaps."

"What's this organization going to be about?" Ben asked, curious.

"I was thinking of having these four people, oversee a certain group of teen fighters," Dexter answered. "We need to find a way to cut down Fuse's monsters, and unfortunately, many heroes are missing, including Major Glory and Chad Dickson. If these four.. _guides_ assist the fighters, I believe we may be able to knock down the number."

"You think it'll work?" Ben asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Maybe, maybe not," Dexter said. "It's just a thought. I'm going to think it over, but I was wondering if you liked it."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Anything to beat Fuse," Ben said.

"I also need your opinion on another project," Dexter said as he stood from his chair.

"Sure, what is it?" Ben asked.

Dexter went to what looked like a closet and took out a small board. Ben blinked and looked at him, but grew more surprised when Dexter threw the board and it floated off the ground.

"I was wondering if you liked the idea of hover boards?"

"Now that sounds cooler."

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**A/N: 'Nother chapter down. Now, I think the nightmare was my favorite to write. I got the idea from another story I had intended to write. What does it mean? Send in your guesses. Also, the person Ben mentioned is** Dark Arts Master** created from** dark arts master**. I didn't know where to put him, and decided to have him team up with Ben. I hope you don't mind, I promise he'll get a real appearance. The birth thought of the guides and the birth of the hover boards! Yeah! Sorry if the scam seemed rush or unnecessary, but I just had to do it. Eddy not scamming? Sounds like I'm in a Twilight Zone episode. ^^ I loved using Wilt; I can't help it! I also have a crush on him because he's so loveable! Please review and tell me how you liked the chapter.**

**Next chapter will introduce two new characters. How will the meeting go?**

***I am referencing the movie **_Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show._

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	9. Candy Cove Woes

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, cause now we're on to the next. You get to meet two new characters. Who are they? Read to find out! Speedy-Shifter, I'll answer your questions at the end of the chapter in my notes, so don't worry, they are going to get answered.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Nine:** Candy Cove Woes

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After we had helped the school, we were given some time to rest. Nazz, who had gotten back with Kevin from searching the wildreness for the missing Ed, made us a pinic that we could eat later that day. We had asked Wilt if he wanted to eat with us, but he declined with 20 apologies. So, along with myself, the twins, Palmar, and Nazz, Jimmy and Sarah joined us in our picnic just behind the Cul-de-Sac. It was delicious, and it felt good to rest. After that we were called away by a frantic DeeDee who reported that she saw a Fusion version of herself enter Mandark's old lab. I calmed her down and promised to check it out. We had gone down, battled the Fusion, and returned one of her Pretty Princess Pony. I also gained Nano DeeDee. That was the excitement of the whole day. We stayed overnight once again.

We were given more time to rest the next day until Dexter called us in for a mission. Stickybeard had called for assistance. His _Sweet Revenge_ was attacked and covered in Fusion Matter. No one can enter it and he wants his precious ship back. We agreed and walked the couple miles to Candy Cove. We headed down into where the pirates had set up came and were surprised by what we saw. Stickybeard was sobbing, blubbering about his ship.

"Uh... Captain Stickybeard?" Brent called.

"Huh?" he asked, looking up. "What are you landlubbers doing here?"

"Dexter sent us," Trent answered.

"Dexter?" Stickybeard asked, his eyes sparkling. "He sent you to help save me ship?"

We nodded. He jumped up and looked at us with a smile on his face.

"Thank ye!" he said. "I just want me ship back!"

"We'll do everything we can," Palmar said.

"What happened to it?" I asked.

"Fusion Matter has sunk it!" Stickybeard complained. "I'm afraid before you can go and raise it, you have to take care of those blasted Candy Buccaneers around me ship. Can ye do that for me?"

We nodded in agreement.

"Oh thank ye so much!" he said.

"It's no problem," Trent said.

"It's just what we heroes do," Brent said with a small sniff.

Palmar rolled his eyes while his brother grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him away from the pirate captain. Palmar and I followed after them, heading away from the camp and more towards the forest of Candy Cove. We were soon confronted by Candy Buccaneers who traveled in groups of three. We began to shoot at them, until a giant Candy Buccaneer appeared and hit me, sending me back.

I got into a sitting position and looked up to see my group mates fighting the smaller Candy Buccaneers while the giant Buccaneer advanced on me. I went to grab my weapon, but was discouraged to find that it was several feet from me. This was not good. I looked back up to see the giant Buccaneer over me. I felt my whole body go tense.

"Alice! Move!"

I couldn't, and that's what was so upsetting. As the Buccaneer brought down its lollipop weapon, three laser beams from three different weapons shot at the Buccaneer, drawing its attention away from me and onto the strangers. It strangely felt like déjà vu. The Buccaneer disappeared into a mess of Fusion Matter and I felt two hands on me. Looking, I found Palmar helping me to my feet. Trent jogged up with my weapon in hand, handing it back over to me. I sent thankful looks in their directions then looked to see who had saved me from certain death. Brent was beside the three of them, a girl with a bandana, a boy in a strange armor, and the last boy with an afro.

"Thank you for saving me," I said to them when we approached them.

"It was no problem," the armor wearing teen answered.

"We couldn't let that nasty Monster hurt you," the afro teen added.

"What are you four doing out here anyways?" the girl asked.

"We were sent here," Palmar answered. Did I hear a defensive tone in his voice?

"So you're here to help?" the girl asked.

"Yep," the twins answered.

"That's good to know," the girl replied. "My name's Viper Coyote. I'm best friends with Dexter. These are my two friends and traveling friends."

"Hi, my name's Holden Wren," the armored boy said. "I'm also the godson of Professor Utonium and best friend of Blossom."

"And I'm Ace Wiltarrow," the teen with the afro greeted. "I'm also Blossom's best friend. Holden and I were stationed with her in Sector V till Viper asked us to join her on this journey."

"Who are all of you?" Viper questioned.

I allowed the boys to introduce themselves first, then I would. I didn't want to be rude.

"And you?" Viper questioned.

"My name's Alice Spacebyte," I greeted politely. "Nice to meet all of you."

I noticed something change in Viper's look. I couldn't see her mouth, but something in her eyes surprised me. I noticed her eyes had done a quick glance up-and-down my body. Almost liked she was seizing me up. The look in her eyes almost looked... disdainful. She turned her head to look at Palmar with a quiet, "I see." I somehow felt small and took a step behind Trent, trying my best to hide away from them.

"So... Did Dex send you?" Viper asked.

"Yeah. Tell me though, what's with the weapons?" Palmar questioned.

"We're part of the Earth Alliance*," Ace answered.

"The what?" Brent asked.

"Earth Alliance," Holden answered. "It's what Dexter's calling all the fighters against Fuse. He said it in his rally for fighters."

"Rally?" I questioned in surprise. Dexter had a rally?

"Yep," Viper answered. "Dexter needed more people to take up the fight with Fuse and called forth a rally for us."

This information, for some reason, troubled me. Did Dexter have little faith in me that he called on more fighters? I shook my head and tried to rid myself of such a troubling thought. It was none of my business what Dexter did.

"So there's more?" Palmar questioned.

"Yep," Viper answered.

Palmar looked a little displeased, which was surprising.

"Well, I guess we'll be heading off to the _Sweet Revenge_ now," Palmar said. "We've gotten rid of most of the Buccaneers."

"The _Sweet Revenge_? Why are you four heading to my grandfather's ship?" Viper questioned.

"Dexter and your grandfather asked us to take care of it. There's probably a Fusion somewhere on board," Palmar stated.

"A Fusion?" Viper asked with interest.

"You've faced Fusions?" Ace asked.

"I've heard they're powerful and strong," Holden commented.

"They're no problem," Palmar said.

"Besides, we have a secret weapon," the twins said.

"Secret weapon?" Holden asked, genuinely curious.

I felt two sets of hands grab my arms and pulled me forward, presenting me like a toy to make another kid jealous.

"Alice," the twins and Palmar announced.

"Her?" Viper asked critically.

I felt the heat go to my cheeks, and lowered my gaze. Why must they put me up on display? I was happy being hidden and out of sight.

"Yep. Not only is she a secret weapon against the Fusions, she's Earth's secret weapon against Fuse!" Brent boasted.

_Please Brent, please be quiet. I'm no one special._

_**Oh, how wrong you are.**_

_Who are you?_

My question went unanswered, but I was brought back to the real world by Ace saying,

"Oh! So _you're_ the Alice Dexter was talking about."

"It's nice to meet you," Holden said. "If Dexter believes in you, you must be powerful."

"Yeah well, we really should get going," Palmar said, sounding impatient.

"Good luck," Holden said.

"We'll go with you," Viper said quickly.

"Huh?"

"I said, we're going with you. It's my grandfather's ship, and you're going to need help defeating the Fusion," Viper explained, "If there is one."

"No offense," Palmar started, "but we don't need you three."

"Yeah. Alice here beat two Fusions all on her own," Brent boasted.

I blushed and avoided Viper's look. Was she glaring at me? I gulped and looked up at my group mates.

"S-still, more safety in numbers," I said, smiling meekly.

"Alright. Alice wants ya in, so you three can join, but for this Fusion beating only," Palmar stated. "This group is a quartet."

"Fair enough," Viper agreed. "I just want to help my grandfather."

"Then let's head off!" Brent said, pumping his fist in the air.

Palmar shook his head and began to lead the way while Trent slapped the back of Brent's head. Viper, sending a look at me, ran ahead to stand beside Palmar. She knew the way, after all. Her two friends followed closely behind her while I decided to take the back of the group. We soon came upon the _Sweet Revenge_ and after taking a look at it, I felt pity for Captain Stickybeard. It was in a force-field, causing the ship to be an Infected Zone. It won't be cured till Fuse was defeated.

"Down there is the Dexbot pad," Brent said.

"That's not what it's called," Trent said.

"That's what I'm calling it," Brent replied.

"Have you tried to enter the ship?"

"That bot won't let us pass," Viper answered.

"Really? It's let us pass many a times," Palmar said. "Here, I'll show you."

Palmar walked down the path to the waiting Dexbot with the rest of us following him. We all stepped on the pad, and the Dexbot teleported us inside the Infected Zone. While Ace and Holden looked in awe, and though I couldn't see her mouth, I could have sworn that she was scowling. Before we could step off the pad, my NanoCom began to beep. I grabbed it and pressed the touch-screen, revealing Numbuh Five.

"Hi Numbuh Five," I greeted, before noticing her sullen look. "Are you alright?"

"No, Numbuh Five just lost some of her candy to some nasty Monsters," Numbuh Five replied.

Before I could give her sympathy, Ace interrupted.

"Candy? You mean some of the candy we got off of the Spawns, Bashers, and Buccaneers?" he questioned, revealing the candy.

Before Numbuh Five could utter a word of either gratitude or exclamation, Numbuh Two appeared on the screen.

"Bad news," Numbuh Two interjected. "That candy's radioactive."

"Radioactive?" Ace questioned, dropping the candy.

"Numbuh Five's candy is radioactive!" Numbuh Five said angrily.

"'Fraid so Numbuh Five," Numbuh Two said.

"Alice, girl, you need to stash that lousy candy. Somewhere on the _Sweet_ _Revenge,_" Numbuh Five instructed.

"Like a treasure chest?" Brent asked, picking up the candy.

"A treasure chest? Isn't that a little cliched?" Holden questioned.

"If it'll hold the candy, it'll do," Numbuh Five said.

"I know where one is," Viper announced. "Follow me."

Numbuh Five signed off and I placed my NanoCom on my waist while following the group along the floating objects and onto the Fusion Mattered ship. Viper guided us to the back of the ship, where there was a treasure chest. Brent dumped the candy into the chest. My NanoCom went off again, and it was Numbuh Five.

"Hey Alice, Numbuh Five's got a strange reading on her SCANNUH," Numbuh Five reported. "Numbuh Five thinks it belongs to a Fusion. Do you see a portal around there somewhere?"

We spread out till Trent alerted that he found one. Numbuh Five told us to enter it and defeat the Fusion. Both boys of Viper's group looked ecstatic to enter, though Viper looked more determined. We stepped on the portal and were brought underground via the portal.

"Whoa," the boys said.

"Yeah. Does that all the time," Brent said.

"You get used to it after a while," Trent added.

"Enough chit-chat. We're here to defeat this Fusion. Now stick close; there's Monster's down here as well," Palmar ordered as he took the front.

"I want to defeat a Fusion," Viper stated.

"Then let's go," Palmar said, leading the group, before stopping and turning to look at me. "Alice, we're going to make a path for you to go and defeat the Fusion. I'm going to have Viper go with you, understand?"

I nodded and looked over at Viper, and could have sworn she scowled even more but she nodded. With that all settled, we continue through the lair. Either Fuse was worried or he was getting stronger, but there was more Monsters than I remembered at Fusion DeeDee's lair. We seven took to fighting off the Barrel Bashers. We made a path, killing all that was in our way. Viper stuck close to me and I followed her. We came to a two-way.

"Which path?" Viper asked herself, looking between the two paths.

I looked both ways before having the feeling that we had to go left. I made a step in that direction, and Viper had made up her mind by then.

"Right. The Fusion is this way," Viper said, pointing in the right.

"I think it's left," I mentioned.

"Left? No no. It's right," Viper persisted.

"But-"

"Look, you go left and I'll go right because right is the right way," Viper said before heading off in the direction she had chosen.

I was going to follow her, to follow Palmar's instructions, but decided to go to the left. I walked down the empty path and took another left and found myself in the clearing with Fusion Numbuh Five who was pacing around the clearing. It spotted me and threw a goo ball at me. I dodged it and shot at it as it advanced, throwing more of its attacks at me. I was soon joined by more laser beams, all coming from my group mates and Viper and her friends. Viper looked upset, but the closest to the Fusion. We killed the Fusion which turned into a Nano Numbuh Five that floated over my cupped hands.

"I'm a spy," Nano Numbuh Five said.

"What's that?" Holden asked.

"A Nano," I replied.

"A what?" Viper questioned.

"A Nano," I replied before explaining, "It's a miniaturized version of some of Earth's heroes. Dexter calls them Nanos."

"Pretty cool, but what can they do?" Ace asked.

"Variety of things," Brent answered.

"Nano Eduardo can heal, and Nano Buttercup-"

"Nano what?" Ace and Holden interupted.

"Nano _Buttercup_?" Holden questioned.

I nodded.

"But... but she's gone," Ace said, looking at Holden to confirm his statement. Holden nodded.

"But, I..." I stopped myself, knowing full well that Buttercup had disappeared. But that didn't mean dead, right? "Maybe she isn't dead."

"We'll have to talk to Blossom about this," Holden said.

"We can talk about this later," Palmar said. "Right now, let's head out."

We exited the lair and Infected Zone (Numbuh Five called and congratulated us on a job well done) and we broke the news to Stickybeard that his ship could not be salvaged till after the war. He cried a little but bucked up and swore revenge on Fuse.

"So, I guess that's the end of our travels," Palmar announced when Stickybeard left. "It's been fun."

"Yeah," Viper said, though she didn't sound excited.

"Where will you go? What will you do now?" I asked.

"We'll probably head over to Sector V and defend the Treehouse," Holden answered.

"Until Dexter calls and requests our assistance," Viper added.

"Good luck to you guys," Brent said.

"Hope to meet with you guys again," Trent said. "Bye."

We parted ways, but I had no idea where we were going. Palmar just decided to head towards the Cul-de-Sac, which seemed to be the, essentially, base for us. As we entered the Cul-de-Sac, we suddenly felt warm. Very warm, and the cause for it was down near the throne.

"YOU! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WAS DESTROYING MY HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS!" Father shouted, his flames surrounding his body.

We jogged up towards the throne to see who he was yelling at. He was standing over a cowering Double-D.

"I-I... I never did such a thing!" Double-D said with fear in his voice. "Honestly! I've never done such a thing!"

"I s_aw_ you do it you child!" Father shouted.

"Oy! What's going on here?" Palmar demanded.

Father turned and glared at us. I did my best to hide behind the boys, scared of Father.

"I saw this trouble-maker destroying my housing development," Father explained through his anger.

The three boys looked discreditably at Double-D, who was still cowering.

"Him? No offense to Double-D, but he's weak," Trent said.

"Doubt he could do such a thing like what you're describing," Brent said. "No offense to him, but he can't even throw a pebble."

"You honestly he could have done whatever it is to your housing?" Palmar questioned. "He may be smart, but I doubt he could do anything like that."

I looked over at Double-D's crest fallen face and felt the boys were too hard on him. I decided I had to help my friend, and so I stepped up and stood before Father who terrified me.

"Can we go to your housing developments and clear his name?" I asked. "Prove he is innocent?"

"Hmmmmmmmm... Very well," Father consented, his fire dying down. "Head to my housing development and clear your friend's name."

I nodded and motioned with my head to the boys to follow me. We headed out of the Cul-de-Sac and came to the housing development that now was an Infected Zone.

"Hey guys, I think the Fusion Matter has grown," Trent commented as we entered the Infected Zone.

"Huh?" Brent asked, looking at him. "You know, you may be right."

"A Fusion's doing?" I asked.

"Perhaps. Let's head in," Palmar said, stepping on the pad.

We got onto the pad and entered the Infected Zone. When we entered, my NanoCom went off. It was from Double-D.

"Maybe Father has some security footage that can prove my innocence and discover this imposter," Double-D said. "Can you find some?"

We nodded and began to look around the Infected Zone, avoiding the Fusion Matter on the ground. I came upon a security footage (it looked weird) and touched it. Double-D came back on the NanoCom.

"You found one! Now see if there's a computer terminal nearby and send the footage to me."

We looked once again for a computer termanial, and with Trent's help, sent the footage off. Double-D came back on the NanoCom.

"Receiving images now. Hey! That's not me! It's a Fusion Version of me! I'm going to show Father. See if you can stop the Fusion," he instructed.

"Now to find a Fusion Portal," Palmar muttered.

"Well, that one over there is Fusion Eduardo's," Brent said.

"Maybe that's the portal?" I asked, pointing at the one on a hill.

"Possibly," Trent said. "It wouldn't hurt to try."

We headed to the Fusion Portal and entered it, heading underground. We were immediately met by Crash Loaders.

"Man. There's more than before," Brent commented.

"Enough complaining," Palmar said as he brought out his weapon and shot at the Monsters. "More fighting."

"Who said I was complaining?" Brent said with a smirk as he joined in on the shooting.

We took down any and every Fusion Monster in our way, making our way through the underground lair. We were able to defeat them and ran through the lair, looking for the Fusion. We came into another clearing and found the Fusion walking around. We took aim and fired, the Fusion getting hit and firing back at us. But like all others, we killed it, and a Nano of it appeared before my face. Nano Double-D smiled at me and floated.

"Hi there!" he said with a wave.

He entered my NanoCom as we exited the lair and then the Infected Zone. We headed back to the Cul-de-Sac, where we were greeted by a happy and relieved Double-D and an expecting Father.

"Did you kill the Fusion?" he demanded.

I nodded, afraid to speak. He seemed to be happy, as well as Double-D who was smiling with relief.

"Good, then my housing development is fine," he said.

"Actually, no. It's now become an Infected Zone, meaning it won't be well enough until after the war," Palmar explained, standing unafraid to him.

"What?" he demanded. "Are you telling me that I'll be losing money because YOU COULDN'T CLEAN UP MY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT!"

His fire had returned and I flinched backwards. The boys remained unafraid as they stood their ground.

"Basically," Brent answered.

His flames grew, but died down as he scowled at us. Without a word, he passed us and left. I released a steady relieved sigh.

"That was interesting," Trent commented. "Should we get food?"

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter looked up from his work to look at the computer. He pressed a button, and Viper's face appeared on the screen.

"Hello Viper," he greeted.

"Dexter," she greeted. "Dex, why couldn't I enter the Infected Zones, yet when I met up with Alice and her-"

"You met up with Alice?" Dexter questioned.

"We ran into each other; I was helping my grandfather and you thought it'd be a good idea to send her," Viper replied. "Now, how come I couldn't enter the Infected Zone with my team, yet she could?"

"Because I designed the Dexbots to allow her entrance only. Anyone accompanying her can go with her, but she must be in the party," Dexter replied. "I couldn't allow anyone but her to defeat the Fusions."

"And why is that?" she demanded.

"Because she is the only one strong enough. Though she doesn't know it, she is. I've been keeping a close reading on her, and she is different than most with little fighting experience," Dexter said. "Hold on, someone else is calling."

He pressed another button and on the screen was a redheaded girl. He quickly recognized her to be Betty, Atomic Betty.

"It's good to hear from you again Atomic Betty. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"My team and I are on our way to assist you and Earth in the battle against Fuse," Betty answered. "We should arrive within days to provide firing power from space."

"That's very good to hear," Dexter said, "But I'd advise you go to the Kids Next Door Moonbase first."

"Understood. Atomic Betty, out."

"Dexter, why did you send Atomic Betty to the Moonbase?" Computress asked.

"Because then she won't take them on alone and will be able to have assistance from the Moonbase. And we need to know if they are still standing," Dexter answered. "We will need as much help in space as we do on Earth." He walked to the windows and looked out, seeing the planet that was their enemy and only commented, "He is getting closer."

**

* * *

**

A/N: Yeah! Another chapter! Did you like it? And we've met two new characters. I enjoyed playing with them, so expect them and Viper to appear in another chapter (don't know when, but soon). Hope I got all the personalities right. And I know that I used Edd in an earlier chapter, but I've decided to use Double-D. Also couldn't help but add in Atomic Betty. We'll hear from them soon.

***I kind of got the name from **_Gundam Seed_**. Another name that would have been used in another Fusion Fall story would be League Against Fuse (L.A.F, pronounced laugh).**

**Speedy-Shifter - I don't know which friend told Dexter, so... yeah. The hover boards and hoverbikes will come back in another chapter, and yes, Mandark will help Dexter with it. As for the Nanos, I'm not basing them off on how the game made them. In here, the Nanos are made because of the human DNA mixed with the Fusion DNA. Hope that answers your questions.**

**Next chapter will be all about the Junkyard and Megas (I LOVE MEGAS!) and a new Nano (I love the Nano too).**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	10. Imaginary Junk

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, cause now we're on to the next. I know the last chapter said it was a sole Megas chapter, but after some thinking, I've discovered I haven't touched on Foster's, so I've included a bit of Foster's in this chapter (but it's still focused on Megas and its Nano).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Ten:** Imaginary Junk

* * *

We had a week of absolutely nothing to do. Dexter didn't request any missions for us to do, and there hasn't been any Fusion sightings. We were given the time to rest but found little things to do in our down time. I had noticed, as I did my daily walk around the inside of the Cul-de-Sac (Rolf was very clear on the fact that I couldn't leave the kingdom without someone accompanying me or on a mission), that the cardboards seemed to be coming apart. I had noticed it in little areas. I decided to bring it up to Double-D, who looked troubled when I presented him my findings.

"Oh my. This is the third time today that my cardboards have been reported to be coming apart," Double-D commented. "But what am I going to do? I have nothing to keep them together. Our resources are minimal."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I may be of some help," Wilt said as he stepped into the conversation. "Sorry, but I couldn't but eavesdrop. I know Foster's sitll has the imaginary toothpaste that can stick anything together for the longest time."

I could see the skeptical look in my friend's eyes, but I felt like it would be useful.

"I'll grab the toothpaste Double-D," I offered. "You should give it a try."

"Very well. But do not let Eddy know about this. If he finds out about it, he'll _kill_ me," Double-D said, adding the last part with a terrified frown.

I nodded and headed off to find my group of friends who were lying under a tree, doing nothing. They were excited at the thought of heading to Foster's, even though it was a delivery run. Guess anything was better than nothing. We headed out of the Cul-de-Sac and towards Foster's, passing by Father's house development. We entered the gates of the home surprised to be greeted by the granddaughter of Madame Foster, Frankie.

"Hey guys. Welcome to Foster's," she greeted cheerfully. "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Alice. What can I do for you?"

"We were wondering if you had some extra Imaginary Toothpaste around. The Cul-de-Sac's cardboards are failing," I explained. "We were wondering if we can use some to fix it."

"Sure. Mr. Herriman's got it. He's somewhere behind the House," she said.

"Behind?" Brent asked.

"Why isn't he in?" I asked, knowing that the imaginary rabbit hated being outside if he could avoid it.

"The House has been overrun by some Fusion Monsters," Frankie answered with a frown. "No one has been able to enter it. It's been locked from the inside."

"Is there anything we can do?" Trent asked.

"Unless you've got a key that'll fit it? No. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Besides, you've got your mission to do," Frankie said.

I didn't feel right about leaving Frankie and the other Imaginary Friends without a home, but before I could protest, something grabbed me from behind and picked me up. I could tell by the feel and the cries that it was Eduardo, but my three teammates didn't know the Imaginary Friend and thought him to be an enemy as they aimed their weapons for the harmless purple Friend.

"It's okay guys," Frankie and I said at the same time.

"Eduardo's a friend," I continued.

"iOh _senorita_ Alice! i_Estoy feliz de verte_!" Eduardo said. (Translation: _I'm very happy to see you_)

"I'm happy to see you too Eduardo," I replied back kindly, not being able to feel my arms in the bear hug.

Eduardo placed me down, though I wobbled a little until I straightened out. My teammates calmed down and placed their weapons away. The purple Friend was wiping away some tears, making me look at him in concern. I never liked it when Eduardo cried; he was a good Imaginary Friend and shouldn't be hurt.

"What's wrong Eduardo?" I asked.

"Oh _senorita_, three of _mi_ cuddly toys are gone. _Muy malo_ Monsters took them from me," Eduardo complained.

"Took them?"

"They're somewhere in the maze behind the House. I saw them," Frankie supplied.

"And four of _mi_ potatoes!" Eduardo complained.

"Don't worry Ed," I said, patting his furry arm. "We'll get them back for you."

"We will?" I heard Brent say before he released an "OMFF!"

"Really?" Eduardo asked. "i_Oh gracias mi amiga_!"

"It's no problem Ed," I said, placing a hand on his arm. "I don't mind helping a friend."

"Ed, why not talk to Mr. Herriman and get the Imaginary Toothpaste for Alice? She and her friends need it."

"i_Si_ _si_! I will get it right away!" Eduardo said, running off.

"Be careful in the maze guys," Frankie warned. "The Monsters are in there, and it's hard to tell where they are."

"It's okay Frankie," I said in a comforting manner.

"We've taken on Fuse's Monsters that are way scarier than what you probably have," Brent boasted.

Frankie shook her head but didn't say anything else except, "Just be careful." We headed to the entrance to the right of the house, entering the maze with our guard up. We encountered a trio of Extremospawn, but killed them quickly. One of them dropped a stuffed animal while another had a potato.

"Two more stuffed dolls to go," Brent said.

"And three potatoes," Trent added.

"We need to keep moving if we're going to save the Cul-de-Sac," Palmar instructed.

We nodded and continued through the confusing maze. We hit a couple of dead-ends before encountering another trio of Monsters and attacked. Two potatoes were dropped and collected by Trent.

"This is too easy," Brent commented.

"Don't get cocky 'cause you'll slip up," Palmar warned.

"No worries," Brent said with a wave of his hand.

A few minutes later, we were able to obtain all of Eduardo's potatoes and stuffed animals. We headed out of the maze and to the back of the house where we found Eduardo with Mr. Herriman. Eduardo, before we got near him, visibly brightened and ran at us, saying things like "_Mi _toys!" and "_Mi_ potatoes!". He hugged me once again in a crushing bear hug that almost took my breath away. After we were able to stabilize him, we exchanged our items, giving him his potatoes and toys and he gave us the Imaginary Toothpaste. Mr. Herriman warned us not to use it all before we headed back to the cardboard fortress. I could see that it was beginning to fail and quickly went to Double-D who was freaking out about Eddy finding out. He instructed us on where it was needed most, so we headed out and placed the Imaginary paste on it. The reaction was almost immediate - the failing cardboards snapped back into place, reinforcing the structure.

"Sam hill! It worked!" Double-D gawked in surprise.

"Guess Imaginary things are more incredible then we thought," Palmar commented offhandedly.

"Hey Alice!" Jonny's voice called. "Eddy needs ya to do a mission for him."

Double-D nearly fainted when hearing his friend's name. I turned and looked at the Urban Ranger and wooden friend walk up to us.

"What does he need done Jonny?" I asked.

"A guy named Coop ordered a piece not too long ago and it just came in. Eddy needs you to deliver it to him; he's in the Junkyard," Jonny answered, handing me a piece of strange looking metal.

I took the piece and inspected it. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was but nodded, placing it in my bag.

"Alright Jonny. Tell him I'm heading out to do it," I said to the bald-headed Ranger, who saluted and went off.

"One mission after another," Brent sighed.

"No complaining," Trent said. "Like Dexter said, we're in a war, and we have to do our part to win it. Our part is to help Alice."

I flushed a little and just headed for the exit of the fortress, slipping Wilt the paste before I left. My teammates followed after me. We passed by the trailer park again, briefly seeing the Kanker Sisters (minus May, which was strange) washing their clothes in the water. We came upon the Junkyard, and from so far away, we noticed the purple force-field that now symbolized the place to be an Infected Zone. We entered the entrance of the Infected Zone and found two males sitting in lawn chairs in front of a trailer.

"Oi. Which one of you is Coop?" Brent asked.

The blond, heavy-set man lifted up his sunglasses as he released a, "Yo. Mine name's Coop."

"We've got a package for you from the Cul-de-Sac," Brent said as I took out the item.

Trent looked over the item and saw the name brand and said, "Technically, it's from Dexter in Tech Square."

"Sweet! It came in!" Coop said with pure excitement.

He grabbed the piece from my hand and inspected it. His friend, I think it's his friend, stood up and looked over the piece.

"You think that thing will free Megas?"

_Megas?_ My eyes wandered upwards for some reason, and I was able to catch the site of something blue. It looked like a robot...and I was strangely intrigued by it. I felt... almost a connection.

"It should. But we need to get to it," Coop said to him. "The kid needs Megas to be working in order for us to beat Fuse."

"We could do it," I offered.

All eyes were on me and I flushed but stood firm.

"I don't mind helping," I continued. "And besides, you said you need Megas to work to beat Fuse. My whole mission is to defeat Fuse, and if this Megas can do it, then I'll be more than happy to help."

Coop seemed to think it over before nodding and handing me the device. "Okay, you can try. That bot over there has been denying us entrance."

I did my best not to smile as I nodded and headed over to the the Dexbot. My team and I stepped on the pad and looked at the Dexbot who began the teleportation process. Before dematerializing on the outside of the Zone, I heard Coop shout, "And grab my game from Megas if you can!" We rematerialized on the other side of the Zone and began heading through the Zone via the floating items (we discovered from Dexter that the Fusion Matter messed with the items gravity). Halfway through the Zone, Dexter suddenly came on my NanoCom.

"Alice, I heard you're in the Junkyard Infected Zone, attempting to free Megas?" Dexter questioned.

"Yes."

"Be careful. Fuse seemed to want him to be indisposed during this war, which has me wondering," Dexter said. "However, before you free Megas, take care of the Fusion that is hidden in the Zone."

"Another Fusion?" Brent questioned.

"There are many Fusions out there," Dexter said. "Defeat the Fusion first, then rescue Megas. Dexter, out."

He left, not bothering to hear if we'd refuse or accept (he knew we wouldn't refuse, so it probably didn't matter).

"Alright, it's Fusion hunting season," Palmar joked.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find," Trent commented. "We know where they hide."

I looked around the opening and soon spotted, in the far distance, moving green. I began to walk in that direction, motioning for my teammates to follow. They did, and as we drew closer, we were able to see the Fusion Portal, so we ran to it and stepped on the portal, allowing it to transport us into the lair. We arrived in the underground lair. We were immediately greeted by Creep Tyrants.

"Alright! More butt to kick," Brent said.

"These Monsters don't have butts," his brother pointed out.

Brent scowled at his twin and said, "Way to ruin the fun."

We ran through the lair killing all the Tyrants in our way till we came upon the clearing. It seemed all the Fusions were in clearings, waiting for challengers. Waiting for me. It was a Fusion of Coop, who hadn't noticed us as it paced. It made me wonder what Fusions did all day. As a unified team, we ran towards the Fusion and shot at it. It responded by running at us, punching the air. It got close to us, and hit me in the chin with its fist, sending me backwards and to the ground. I hit the ground with a thud.

"Alice!"

"You okay?"

I got up into a sitting position with the help of Palmar while the twins continued to battle the Fusion. I numbly touched my chin. As if sensing my damage, my Nano Eduardo appeared out of the com and healed me, making the pain disappear, though it was still red. Palmar helped me stand as Nano Numbuh Five appeared.

"Let Nano Numbuh Five take over from here Alice," she said. "_Drop Kick_!"

My Nano drop kicked the Fusion in the face, green Matter flying and being absorbed by the Nano. The Fusion was in a daze. I delivered the final blow, making him turn into Fusion Matter before that Matter swirled into the form of a new Nano. I stared at the robotic Nano which I could not put a name to.

"How'd we beat that Fusion Coop but get this?" Brent asked.

"That is strange," Trent said, trying to examine the new Nano.

It hovered closer to me.

"What are we going to call it?" Brent asked.

"We can't worry about names," Palmar said, interrupting me as I opened my mouth. "We need to go free Megas."

I closed my mouth and nodded, placing my new Nano in the NanoCom. We exited the underground lair and back to the Junkyard. After walking a few feet, we were able to see an robot in blue surrounded by a lake of Fusion Matter. It was in a heroic pose, and I had no doubt that this was Megas. That meant I had received a Nano Megas.

"That's Megas?" Brent asked.

"We should have asked Coop more about Megas," Trent commented.

We used the floating items to get higher and closer to Megas. I continued to have the weird feeling I had before; like I was connect to it somehow. But why? We were able to make it to the top and stood near the car which, apparently, manned the robot.

"Okay, now what?" Brent asked.

"Alice, hand me the device," Palmar ordered.

I took it out of my bag and handed it to him. He opened the car door and got in. He began to do something (I'm not car savvy so I have no idea what he's doing) and placed the device among the wires. He then turned the keys that were left in the ignition. It sounded like it was trying to wake up, but nothing was happening. I continued to watch Palmar in anxiousness, wanting to see us succeed and free Megas. But nothing was working. Palmar was getting frustrated, and a sudden feeling of me being pulled found me standing at the hood. My body moved on its own as I placed my hands on the hood. A blue light, like when I first got my NanoCom, began to come from my hands and onto the hood. It began to spread out across the giant mecha until it was glowing a bright blue. What was even stranger...it was talking to me. Megas was talking to me. After a while, the light receded and I stepped back, feeling a little lightheaded. Palmar slammed his hands against the steering wheel, startling me.

"Nothing," he spat. "We need to get back to Coop and report."

We headed off Megas and back to the Dexbot and exited the Junkyard. We appeared back on the outside to a waiting Coop, his friend, and a new person with red hair. She seemed to be yelling at them.

"How could you let kids go off in there by themselves!"

"Relax Kiva, they wanted to," the black haired friend said.

"That's no excuse Jamie. You two should have gone with them as back-up. And further more-"

"Hey! You're back!" Coop said in delight, jogging to us as we stepped off the platform. "How did it go?"

"I couldn't restart Megas," Palmar reported gravely. "It had too many Terrafusers on it."

"You mean, he can't be freed?" Coop asked, his smile turning into a frown.

"I'm sorry Coop," I said to him, genuinely upset and sympathetic towards him. "Fuse made sure the Terrafuser's attack his hard drives. He can't get out, nor restart. But he's trying fight the-"

"How do you know that?" Kiva asked in shock.

"He...He talked to me," I answered hesitantly.

"Talk to you? Megas talked to you?" Coop asked, also in shock.

"Uhhh... I don't know if you know this, but Megas is a giant, alien robot that can't talk," Jamie said.

_Megas is an alien?_

"After what we saw, I don't doubt she talked to it," Palmar said. "Was that all it said?"

I nodded, "All he said. He's doing his best to fight the Terrafusers. But I promise you Coop, I'll defeat Fuse so we can free Megas."

Coop nodded, looking a little thankful.

"And we'll do all we can to help _you_ defeat Fuse," Kiva said.

"By the way, did you get my video game?" Coop asked.

My eyes widened and I was about to tell him we didn't, but Brent suddenly flashed the item out of nowhere with a grin.

"Got it right here," he said, handing it over.

"Thanks man! You're a life saver. Gotta get this back to the game shop before it's considered late," Coop said, grinning at the box.

Kiva sighed and said to me, "For once I'm glad the Earth is not to be saved by _him_."

I gave her a small smile then grabbed my NanoCom. Dexter will want a report.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He had just had a conversation with Alice and her latest mission: his technology piece hadn't worked. Megas still wasn't free.

_He was our second best shot. Fuse certainly wanted him out of the way. But if he was able to deal with the mecha so quickly, why not Alice?_ He knew he shouldn't be thinking things like that, but it was a question that needed to be answered none the less.

"Dexter?" Computress' voice broke through, making him rid of his thoughts. "Mandark is here to speak with you, as you requested."

Dexter sat up straight in his chair. He never really liked his dealings with his rival, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

_Though is this _really_ a desperate time?_ his consciousness questioned.

"Send him in," Dexter ordered.

The hologram disappeared after bowing her head and moments later, his taller, geekier rival entered, holding his head high with arrogance. Despite the arrogance he was confused.

"What is the meaning of you calling me, _poindexter_?" Mandark demanded upon entering.

"I need your assistance on a project I've been coming up with, _Susan_," Dexter remarked. Just because he was asking the guy for his opinion and assistance didn't mean he wasn't going to not poke fun of the taller kid.

Mandark sneered at him and through clenched teeth asked, "And what might that be?"

"What's your opinion on hover boards?"

Mandark only blinked in complete surprise and managed, "What?"

* * *

**A/N: And done! Hope you all enjoyed it. I love Megas (because I'm such a mecha fan) and couldn't resist writing it. After writing this, I've also decided to dedicate a chapter to the Nanos themselves (but that won't be for a long time). I enjoyed writing the conversation between Dexter and Mandark and Eduardo. He's just TOO CUTE! ^^ But I would like your opinions on the chapter.**

**Also, for those wondering, Alice gets weird connection feelings towards aliens. Why? Well, we'll discover that answer later on in the story (as well as Dexter's question (the first one)).**

**Next chapter will deal with Endsville (some of Charles Darwin Middle School) and three Fusions. After that, we get to meet a new character that is a member of Providence. Oh, and Rex too.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	11. Nightmare of Endsville

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. So I've gotten positive reviews from the last chapter and hope it'll continue on. I don't think I've covered this, but Alice and her team won't be doing much missions like others would. They're mainly after the Fusions unless I want to play with a mission, which is why they're not in too many places or are not focused in the place alone (ie South Pokey Oaks). So, I'm sorry if they're your favorite places, but I swear I'll mention them.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Eleven:** Nightmare of Endsville

* * *

I'd kept in contact with some of the Earth's heroes, though it seemed they only talked to me when they needed my assistance to complete a mission. Only DeeDee and Numbuh Five called to have us over. They were stationed at DeeDee's house with Professor Utonium because his home was being overrun by Mean Behemoths. We had offered to clear them for him, but he turned it down with a kind smile, saying that he was needed here at the house to watch over the two girls and Dexter's lab pieces. DeeDee had called and asked if we'd like to come to have dinner. We had accepted and headed over.

We talked for hours, enjoying each other's company. DeeDee was talking about all the stuff that had been happening in Genius Groves and the neighboring towns Eternal Vistas and Eternal Meadows. It seemed the Meadows now had an Infected Zone and the Vistas was completely vacant of life with the exception of the House of Ancients.

"It's strange," Numbuh Five commented. "Those Monsters just run wild."

"I went by the graveyard, to double check the Infected Zone, and saw a small group of Urban Rangers around a tombstone, crying for one of their own," DeeDee stated with a frown. "It was awfully sad."

Her news made me lose my appetite as I sat rather motionlessly amongst the others. Deaths... In war, there are always deaths but... that doesn't make it any easy. The thought of my mother made my heart plummet again.

_I want this war to end. I don't want any more people to die for something I could have stopped-something that could have been avoided,_ I thought.

The thought continued to unsettle my mind as we passed through Vistas. The place gave me the shivers as we passed through. How could anyone live here? We didn't encounter any Monsters, but I could have sworn their eyes were watching us pass through. We soon came upon the Endsville gates, and my shivers still didn't cease. It was just as creepy as the Eternals.

"So we're off to see Billy? What for?" Brent questioned.

"We're not here for Billy," Palmar answered.

"If you had paid attention, brother, Blossom needs us to see why Him is in Endville and the troubles at the Nuclear Plant," Trent answered in his logical way. "The Professor thinks something is going on there."

"And Charles Darwin," I inputted. "My friend Adam called and said that the school was shut down and filled with Matter. The principle is upset."

"We'll get to the school afterwards," Palmar said. "We can't do much to help them anyways."

We passed by Monsters with pumpkin heads (killed a few, but not much; we decided to simply sneak past Monsters) and came upon a small area of houses that lead up to the Nuclear Plant. I recognized it to be Billy's House (I only know it's his house because I had to do a project with Mandy and we went to her house which is across the way) and was surprised to see him and his best friend Irwin outside. We came up to them.

"Hiya Alice!" Billy greeted in his dorky way with a wave of his hand.

I smiled at his friendliness and waved back.

"Hello Billy. Hello Irwin," I greeted.

"Yo Alice. Who are your friends?" Irwin asked.

I was about to introduce them, but they stopped me and introduced themselves.

"What is that?" Brent exclaimed, pointing his finger at something.

We followed the finger and saw a Fusion Spawn. All our eyes widened and the boys had their weapons out aimed at the creature. Billy stepped in front, waving his arms frantically.

"No no don't shoot! He's my pet, Runty!" Billy shouted in defense.

"You have a Fusion Monster as a pet!" Brent shouted back in shock.

"He's not bad, really. Quite cute in fact," Irwin said. "Yo."

I stared at the Monster and bent down, continuing to evaluate it. The Monster certainly seemed nice... but something was off. I don't have the feeling that I get when I'm around other Monsters. Why not? My feelings around the Monsters are the same when I was around Megas. Why didn't I feel it for this Monster? I was concentrated on my thoughts that I hadn't known the others were speaking until Palmar asked-

"Have you seen Him?"

Almost immediately, a red puff of smoke appeared before us. Way too close to me and it frightened me, making me jump and hide behind the safety of my teammates.

"Did somebody call?" Him questioned in his freaky, echoing voice.

"Ah, the red-wearing psycho we need to talk to," Palmar said with confidence.

"Watch it there, munchkin," Him said, before his eyes caught onto me. "Well well well. What have we here? So you're the girlie everyone's talking about."

I thought I was afraid when I encountered Father. I was absolutely _terrified_ when encountering Him. I didn't reply and lowered my head in fear.

"Oooh. No need to fear me. I won't kill you," Him said.

I somehow didn't believe him and refused to look up at him.

"Leave her alone," Palmar said from in front of me. "Blossom wants to know why you're here. And do any of you three know what's going on with the Nuclear Plant?"

"How harsh. Am I now not allowed to change my locations at my whim?" Him asked.

"Not when you're a psycho with crazy powers," Brent commented.

"Is that what you think of me?" Him asked.

"It's not important at the moment Him. Answer the questions. The world is in danger and you're not helping us," Palmar demanded.

"Oh, but I will help. Fuse is causing nasty problems that _I _and my other villain cohorts should be causing. We have even signed a treaty between the heroes that says we won't cause trouble," Him said.

"That's unimportant at the moment," Palmar continued, his annoyance growing. "Answer my questions."

"Well why don't you take a look for yourself? The Nuclear Plant is guarded by a stupid bot that won't let us through," Him said.

A bot that won't let them through? Why does that sound... Oh!

"An Infected Zone?" I asked in a whisper.

Palmar nodded.

"Possibly," he said. "We're going to go check it out."

"Do as you wish," Him said with a wave of his... claw as he headed for Mandy's house.

"Wait! Before you do that! You have to help me!" Billy cried.

"What? Billy, we're on a tight schedule," Palmar said.

Billy's eyes began to watery as he gave us the sad puppy-dog and his nose began to run. It was sad and gross at the same time, but it was Billy's pleading trick, and Palmar fell victim to it.

"Alright, we'll help you Billy," Palmar said.

"Yeah!" he cried with joy, jumping in the air.

"So what do you need Billy?" Palmar asked.

"I need you to get my underwear from the mean Baron Bloodsuckers, my favorite video game, Pat the Baker from the Jerk-O-Lanterns, and I need a sandwich from the Mummy Monsters," Billy instructed.

"What? Are you serious?" Brent demanded.

Billy began sniveling again, and Brent fell under his spell. Scowling, Brent said,

"Fine fine. We'll get your stuff," he said.

"Let's go team," Palmar said over Billy's cheering.

We followed him more into Endsville, heading for a group of Baron Bloodsuckers. We shot them, and after, perhaps the seventh Bloodsucker, Billy's underwear fell to the ground.

"Okay Brent, get the underwear," Trent said.

"What? Why do I have to get it?" Brent asked.

"Because Alice is a _girl_ and she's not touching _boy's_ underwear," Trent explained. I blushed and nodded, agreeing. I am _not_ touching his underwear. "And Palmar and I don't want to grab it, so you are. Plus, you're the youngest and have to do as we say."

Brent rolled his eyes with a, "Man, this sucks" and picked up the underwear, shoving it into his bag. We were soon surprise attacked by the Jerk-O-Lanterns and took them on. Pat the Baker soon fell to the ground and I picked it up.

"Two down, and one more to go," Palmar commented.

"A sandwich from Mummy Monsters, right?" I asked.

"That's right," Trent answered. "And I think I see them over there."

We headed to edge of Endsville and attacked the Mummy Monsters, retrieving a sandwich.

"There. All done with that kid's grocery list," Brent said as he grabbed the wrapped up sandwich.

My NanoCom suddenly beeped, and I grabbed it, touching the screen as Billy appeared on it.

"Ooo! I almost forgot! I need an extra baseball cap!" Billy said.

"What?" the boys demanded.

"I think I left one inside the graveyard infected zone. Meet me there, okay?" He ended the communication before we could respond.

I looked to my teammates who sighed angrily.

"Off to Eternal Meadows," Palmar said, leading the way.

We walked back through Endsville and into Eternal Vistas before entering the creepy graveyard. I made sure I stuck close to my teammates as we headed up the path to the Infected Zone. We stepped on the pad and arrived on the other side. My NanoCom beeped again, and Billy was once again on my screen.

"A Fusion guy took my baseball cap! Come and help me!"

"A Fusion?" I asked, looking at my teammates.

"His grocery list may be more helpful than we thought," Palmar said. "Alright, let's find that portal."

We scouted the graveyard, avoiding the Fusion Matter. We soon came to the very back of the Infected Zone and found the Fusion Portal. We stepped on it, and entered the portal. My NanoCom beeped to life.

"Help! I am surrounded by Spinetinglers! Save me!"

"That kid is more trouble than he's worth!" Brent commented.

"I see him. Come on," Palmar ordered.

We came upon Billy and the Monsters and defeated the Spinetinglers. Billy was overjoyed.

"Oh, joy! Can you bring me all that stuff you collected in Endsville?" Billy asked.

I presented them to him.

"Billy, you shouldn't be in here," I said.

"How did he get in here?" I heard Brent ask from behind me.

"Awwwwh but I wanted to get my cap back," Billy whined, before smiling. "But thanks! We did it! But look, there's a big green Fusion monster over there. You gotta go get him. Biff! Boom! Pow!"

We looked into the clearing and saw Fusion Billy walking around.

"Let's take him down," Palmar said.

We headed into the clearing and shot at him. He released a growl and threw goo balls at us, making us dodge. I delivered the final blow, and the Matter soon turned into Nano Billy. Brent groaned and said,

"Great. Now we've got a Nano of the twerp."

I smiled lightly and placed Nano Billy away. Billy came up behind us, cheering.

"Yea! The Fusion me's gone!" he cheered.

Though my teammates didn't like him, I smiled kindly. We headed back to the Portal and exited, exiting the Infected Zone soon after. We returned back to Endsville, and soon received a message from Professor Utonium.

"Alice, I don't want to bother you, but can you go to the Nuclear Plant and check up on it?" the Professor asked. "We've discovered a new strain of Fusion Matter that appears to be radioactive. I need you to collect some from the Nuclear Power Plant Infected Zone so we can study it further."

"We're on it Professor," I responded.

We headed to the bot and he allowed us into the Plant.

"Where is this Fusion Matter suppose to be?" Palmar asked.

I looked around our immediate area, and in the area next to us, divided by a gate, I saw a pile of red Matter. It was against green the normal green Fusion Matter. I guided them to the pile.

"So that's it?" Trent asked. "How are we going to get it?"

"Does anyone have something to hold it in?" I asked.

Trent nodded, and after searching through his bag, pulled out a small sandwich bag and handed it to me.

"Why do you have a sandwich bag?" Brent asked.

"Though it'd come in handy. And it did," Trent replied with a smirk.

I bent down and grabbed as much of the red Fusion Matter as I could. It burned my fingers, and I flung the Matter into the bag before grabbing my burning fingers with my other hand and releasing a painful hiss.

"You alright Alice?" Palmar asked.

"My fingers... they're burning," I responded.

"Must be because of the Matter," Trent commented. "Here, put some water on it. It should stop the burn."

Palmar poured the water on my fingers. I winced a little in pain, but smiled thankfully when I felt the burn disappear.

"Thank you," I thanked.

I grabbed my NanoCom and informed the Professor that we obtained the Matter.

"Very good Alice! Use the computer terminal to send me the sample," Professor said.

"It's over this way Alice," Brent said, pointing to the terminal close to us.

I walked over and placed the Matter in the slot on the side, sending it off to the Professor. He came back on my NanoCom.

"The Fusion Matter is definitely radioactive. We need to put a stop to this," the Professor said. "Alice, I'm picking up high energy levels. I believe a Fusion is in the Plant. Head to the Portal. It is up on a building close to the entrance. Good luck."

"You heard the man," Palmar said. "Let's be on our way."

We headed through the small area and up a set of floating pipes to the top of the building and across the roof and to the Fusion Portal. We entered through the Portal and ended up in the lair. Professor Utonium appeared on my NanoCom.

"Professor Plutonium is here. You need to stop him!"

We maneuvered our way through the lair and came to the clearing. Fusion Plutonium was walking around with strange tentacles moving from his back. We fought him, and he fought back, nearly getting Trent with his goo ball. We were able to defeat him, and a Nano Professor Utonium took his place.

"Another Fusion gone," Brent said with a smirk. "We're getting better."

"We can't be cocky, brother," Trent scolded.

"I'm not," Brent said defensively.

We left via the Portal and left the Infected Zone, heading back into Endsville and receiving a congratulations from Professor Utonium. We were interrupted by Him coming out and stopping in front of us with his scary grin on his face.

"Awh good. You're here. I need your assistance," Him said.

"With what Him?" Palmar asked coldly.

Him ignored Palmar's tone and continued on, "Some eyewitnesses have said that they saw a Fusion form of me and some of his underlings running amuck in the Charles Darwin Middle School Infected Zone." I smiled a little, happy to be assisting Adam with the school. "Go to the school and defeat my Fusion form; there can only be one of me."

"We're not going because you asked," Palmar said. "We're only going because we need to stop the Fusion."

"Before we leave, I'm going to see if Billy has some bandage wraps. Alice's fingers need them," Trent said, heading for Billy's house.

I looked back at my burned fingers, and looked at them with half-open eye lids as I inspected the damage. They were redder than before, and they were beginning to burn a little. Trent came back with some rubbing alcohol and bandages and we cleaned up my fingers then wrapped them individually. Once taken care of, we headed off for Habitat Homes. We walked through the small town, avoiding some of the Monsters that didn't look to us. We headed for the school, and before the bot Portal, I saw my two friends Adam and Jake, who seemed to be having an argument.

"Hey Adam. Hey Jake," I greeted, sprinting towards them before stopping in front of them.

"Hi Alice," Adam greeted with a smile and a wave.

"Alice!" Jake greeted as he jumped and hugged me around my neck. "It's so nice to see you."

I chuckled and placed him on the ground.

"It's nice to see you two too," I responded.

"What are you two kids doing here?" Brent asked. "Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"Yes. But _we_ have to get into the school," Jake responded to Brent.

"Why?" Trent asked.

"Because Jake left _my_ backpack in his locker," Adam said, sending an accusing look to his friend.

"I said I was sorry," Jake said.

"We'll get it for you," I offered.

"Really? Oh you're so nice!" Jake said, hugging me once again.

"Thanks for doing this Alice," Adam said as I placed Jake down again.

"It's no trouble," I responded.

My team and I stepped onto the pad and soon appeared inside the Infected Zone. A large body of Fusion Matter separated us from the school.

"Why are you always trying to help people?" Palmar spoke up from behind.

"Huh?" I asked, turning to look at Palmar.

He looked upset.

"Why are you grabbing these small missions? We need to focus on the Fusions, not grabbing backpacks from a locker," Palmar said.

"They're my friends, and we're here, in the school. I thought we could knock out both," I answered.

"Fusions are more important."

"My friends are more important," I responded.

"Your friends?" Palmar asked. "This war is more important than friends."

I don't know why, but I was hurt by that comment. Maybe it was because of the fact that I usually felt lonely beside the people I considered my friends. I don't know what it was, but I turned away, hurt by his comment, and immediately headed for the launch pad. I wanted to be as far away from him as I could get. I could hear the twins calling me to come back, but I ignored them and headed towards the school, avoiding the large Fusion lake below me and the Fusion Matter staining the grass. I landed in front of the principle's statue and headed into the school, trying to remember which locker belonged to Jake's. I soon found it and opened it. I was dismayed to not find a backpack. Where could it be?

_Maybe I should take on the Fusion then,_ I thought to myself with a bit of dismay.

I closed the locker and headed out of the school and looked around for a Fusion Portal. Since it was on the ground, it had to be on the roofs, right? I found a jump pad and used the floating platforms to head upwards. A turning platform threw me off. I almost missed the rooftop, but a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, stopping my fall. Looking up, I was staring at Palmar's. Brent and Trent soon came into the picture and grabbed my other wrist, pulling me up and onto the rooftop.

"Thought you could use our assistance," Brent said with a smile. "But boss here has something to say to you." He and his brother gently pushed Palmar towards me.

He looked a little unsure before looking me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Alice," he apologized. "I know it means a lot to you to help your friends, and I shouldn't have responded the way I am. And I am sorry. We're a team, and as a team, we help one another. This includes us helping you with your mini missions for your friends."

I smiled at his genuine apology.

"Thank you," I said. "But... the Earth is more important. We should defeat the Fusion."

Palmar smiled a little and nodded.

"Well hurry up you two!" Brent called.

"The Fusion isn't going to wait for us forever!" Trent added from the side of the Fusion Portal.

I smiled and both I and Palmar headed to the Portal. All four of us stepped onto the pad and were teleported into Fusion Him's lair.

"Keep your guard up, and Alice, stay close to us. Don't wander away. If this Fusion is anything like the real Him, we're in trouble," Palmar advised.

We nodded in understanding, and before we could leave our spot, my NanoCom came to life and Blossom appeared on the screen.

"Thank goodness you're here! I'm trapped! You need to get the key!"

"You heard her," Palmar said.

"What is she doing all the way out here?" Brent asked his brother.

"Beats me, but let's get the Motorillas over there and see if they've got the key," Trent suggested.

We shot at the Motorillas as we ran through the lair until one finally dropped the key and I grabbed it, noticing Blossom in a cage not too far from where we stood. I quickly ran over to the cage and unlocked it, releasing her from her prison.

"Thanks for getting me out of there," Blossom told us. "Fuse is trying to capture superheroes, and Fusion Him is doing the dirty work. You're going to have to fight him on your own. That trap drained all my energy."

"Don't worry Blossom. We will," I said before grabbing my beeping NanoCom. Him appeared on the screen.

"Good luck! If you get my pink sole back, just keep it. I'm sure it's totally ruined," Him said before going off screen.

"That's a little creepy," Brent said sarcastically.

"Fusion Him is just around the corner," Blossom informed us. "Be careful. He's tricky."

"We've taken on scarier," Brent replied.

"No we haven't," Trent informed his brother.

"Shh!" Brent hissed from behind. "I'm trying to make Blossom be impressed by us."

Palmar lead us around the corner and into the opening, where Fusion Him was greeting us. He was faster than we expected, because a goo ball zoomed past me by by inches. We soon shot at the Fusion who dodged and sent more, managing to hit me in the elbow. I hissed a little in pain but continued to shoot at him. I had to stop the Fusion. My Nanos must have known I was hurt and needed medical attention because Nano Eduardo came out of the NanoCom and healed my injury. We managed to hit him several times, and the Fusion finally dissolved and transformed into Nano Him, who was just as creepy as the real and Fusion Him. My Nano disappeared into my NanoCom just as Blossom arrived, hovering off the ground.

"So that's what a Nano looks like," Blossom said. "Well, good work you guys. Now we just have to find the missing heroes."

"There's heroes missing?" Trent asked.

"Yes, quite a few. Dexter placed me in charge of finding them, but all I've found out is that Fuse is behind their disappearance, and Fusion Him was doing his dirty work," Blossom informed.

"So I guess there'll be no more missing heroes?" Brent asked.

"That's what we hope," Blossom said. "By the way, I found this backpack while trapped down here. Does this belong to anyone?"

She held up a backpack and I gasped in shock and happiness. I stepped forward and nodded.

"It belongs to my friend Adam," I answered. "He'll be happy to see it again."

Blossom smiled and handed me the backpack. We headed to the Portal and left the underground lair came to the roof of the school and exited the infected zone, greeting Adam and Jake who were patiently waiting outside. I held out the backpack for Adam to take.

"Here you go Adam," I said.

"Thanks Alice," he said, taking his bag then heading off with Jake in tow.

Blossom said her thanks and goodbyes before flying up into the sky. As she was leaving it suddenly hit me; this was the first time I met Blossom in person.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Before the war, Dexter barely had anyone visit his lab so much. Now, it seemed all people could do was come and go. It would have bother Dexter, but during times of war, privacy was a thing of the past. So, he wasn't very surprised when Blossom came into the rec room on one of his break times.

"I met her. She's not bad," Blossom commented. "Hardly looks like the fighting type."

"Says the girl who used to beat up criminals as a _five_-year-old," Dexter retorted playfully.

Blossom smirked and punched him extremely lightly (can't afford to hurt him, right?). She then looked at him with a serious frown.

"Do you really think she can save the world?" Blossom asked. "The Professor has trust in her but... I don't know."

"By what the data shows, she's the only chance we've got," Dexter answered. "So, it's not whether or not what I think, it's just what we... have to believe."

* * *

**A/N: And done! Hope you all enjoyed it. It was too quick, I know, but I still liked it. But what are your opinions? *Shivers* Him scares me.**

**This chapter was a little hard to start, but with the help of your pressure, I was able to get it done. Unlike some writers who hate to be pressured, I don't mind it. In fact, I enjoy the pressure because it makes me write. So don't be afraid to pressure me if you think I'm taking too long to write it up.**

**Next chapter will deal with the new character that is a member of Providence. And after that, most of the questions popped up in this story will be answered (most, I think). This chapter is actually something I can't wait to write, so stay tuned!**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	12. Amusement Park Evo

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. In this chapter, we get to meet a new fanmade character. Her owner is **mallory627**, so I don't own the character. Pre-apology if you feel anyone's personalities are wrong.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twelve:** Amusement Park Evo

* * *

"_Why_ are we assisting that bald blue Imaginary Friend?" Brent complained from the back of the group.

We had finished assisting Him and Billy in Endsville and gained three new Nanos. We were all very tired, and were debating on where to rest when Bloo suddenly called and asked to assist him down in City Point. We agreed and began our trip through Endsville (passing by a ghost duck that was making fake farting noises). We were just now reaching the limits that separated the suburb from downtown.

"Because, whether we like him or not, we have to do all we can to stop Fuse. If this means helping the arrogant blue blob then so be it," Palmar explained.

We entered City Point and headed down the street, passing by the amusement park that had now become an Infected Zone. Brent nearly fainted when he saw this.

"No! It can't be!" Brent gasped, leaning on his brother.

"What's wrong Brent?" I asked in worry.

"It's... It's Dizzy World! It's been taken over by those Terrafusers!" he answered.

Trent rolled his eyes and pushed his brother off of him.

"Get a hold of yourself," he said with an annoyed look.

"No drama," Palmar ordered. "Let's go see what Bloo wants us to do."

"Fuse will face my wrath for doing such a thing to the best amusement park ever!" Brent said, making a self vow.

Palmar and Trent rolled their eyes with an exasperated sigh and continued on. I comforted Brent on the way there, until we heard some yelling.

"YOU LITTLE WIDE-EYED TWERP! HOW _DARE_ YOU MAKE ME FACE THOSE MONSTERS JUST FOR THIS STUPID FRIED DOUGH!" a female voice yelled.

"That doesn't sound good," Trent commented.

"Let's check it out," Palmar said, sprinting towards the source of the voice.

We came upon two girls (one a teen and one a Kids Next Door Operative) and Bloo. The teen was holding Bloo in the air, shaking him with a glare. The Kids Next Door operative was trying to get the teen to release him. Bloo looked frightened as he was shaken back and forth.

"Uhh... do we even want to know what's going on here?" Brent asked.

All three stopped what they were doing. The teen (she had brown hair and matching brown eyes in a short sleeves shirt and tie, and a mini skirt with socks going to her mid-thighs and black shoes with sleeves going from her wrists to mid upper arm) dropped Bloo and stepped back.

"Oh nothing. He was just trying to make me take this stupid dough that I almost died for to another person," the girl said. "It's nothing really." She then ran in front of us with a smile and held out her hand. "Hi. The name's Mallory. Mallory Akizuki. Maybe you've heard of me?"

The boys shook their heads no and I only cocked my head to the side. It sounded familiar. If she was upset, she didn't show it.

"That's alright. I haven't been out touring for the longest time. So, what are you four doing out here? Not many people are out," Mallory said, striking up a conversation.

"Bloo called us," Palmar answered.

"Yes I did," Bloo said. "And you're late."

"Yeah yeah. What do you want?" Palmar asked.

"Well, since Dexter informed all of us that only Alice can enter an Infected Zone, I need you four to go in there. A Monster came out, took my juice box and ran back into the Infected Zone. I need it back! I only got to drink half of it," Bloo explained.

Palmar looked ready to kill Bloo and the twins had to hold Palmar back and calm him down. Mallory looked at me in wonderment, making me blush a little in embarrassment.

"You're Alice?" she asked.

I nodded, not looking up.

"I've heard about you. You're what everyone's talking about, even in Providence. Even mister grumpy White Knight talks highly of you," Mallory said.

I blushed and continued to look down. Now I felt like Harry Potter; for the first couple years of my life, no one knows me, yet once something big occurs, everyone knows my name. It was too embarrassing.

"Bloo, we are not-"

"Palmar," I interrupted, grabbing his arm. He looked over at me questioningly. "Palmar, what if that Fusion Monster used that item to become a Fusion copy of Bloo?"

Palmar's eyes widened, and I could tell that he was thinking about it. He finally nodded, which meant that he was agreeing.

"Alright, we'll head in, defeat the Fusion, and if lucky, get the juice box for you," Palmar said, addressing the last to Bloo.

"Awh great," Brent complained. I could hear a whack from behind and guessed that Trent hit his brother.

"Can I come?" Mallory asked. "I've always wanted to take on Fusions, but like Bloo said, Dexter informed us that we can't get near them without you."

"Okay," I said with a smile. "We can always use more help fighting Fusions."

"Sweet!" she said, pumping her fist in the air. "I'm so prepared."

"How do we get into the Infected Zone anyways?" Trent asked. "I don't see the bot."

"Oh, it's up there," Mallory informed, pointing up.

Next to the outer force-field was a railing, and at the top, I could see an object moving from one side to the other.

"Come on, I know the way up there," Mallory said, getting a running start.

We followed her. We came to the very bottom of the railing and followed it up to the top where I saw the moving thing that now looked like a small vehicle with a disk on the top. We five jumped on it and hopped off when we came to the bot. We stepped on the pad and was teleported inside the Infected Zone.

"Wow. This place really let itself go," Mallory joked.

"Fuse will so pay for this," Brent vowed again.

"Of course he will," Trent said with an eye roll.

"The portal isn't anywhere near us," Palmar pointed out as he looked around. "It's probably somewhere in the back. Let's head out."

He stepped off the floating platform and onto a moving platform like a wall-less elevator. We followed him to the ground, avoiding the Matter, and found ourselves fighting Dynamite Mouses by the bumper cars. They were somehow working, and one managed to knock me to the ground.

"Owh," I muttered.

"Alice! Get up!" Brent shouted from somewhere close to me.

I looked up in time to see a Dynamite Mouse lung for me, raising a claw to swipe at me with. I was about to bring up my weapon, but Mallory skidded in front of me. From where I was, I was able to see her take in a breath before she opened her mouth wide and released a loud sonic scream. The scream hit the Mouse and destroyed it, turning it into its Matter.

"Whoa! That was so cool!" Brent commented.

"How were you able to do that?" Trent asked as he jogged up to us.

Mallory helped me to my feet before turning to look at the twins.

"Simple, I'm an Evo," Mallory responded.

"An Evo?" Trent echoed. "What is that?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but if we get the chance, I'll tell you all," she answered. "What you need to know is that I have powers, sound powers. I can create sounds waves however high or low I need them."

"Impressive," Trent commented.

Sound waves? Mallory Akizuki...

"Oh! That's why you're familiar," I blurted out, earning their attention. I continued on. "You're Mallory Akizuki, the pop singer."

She grinned as the boy's faces lightened with remembrance.

"So you _have_ heard of me," Mallory said.

"It took me a while to remember, but I recognize your name," I answered.

"Well as great as it is to talk with a pop singer, we need to keep going," Palmar said.

"Awwhhhh, but I was hoping for an autograph," Brent whined.

"_Later_. Fusions come first," Palmar ordered.

"Joy-killer," Brent muttered under his breath.

Palmar lead the way through the Infected Zone on the ground, though something wasn't right. We couldn't see a Fusion Portal, and there seemed to be no way to get up. How were we suppose to get to the top? Before we could discover an answer, another onslaught of Dynamite Mouses appeared, dead set on hitting us. As we were fighting, I took another look around when I saw something green move in the corner of my eye. Turning, I was able to see what we were looking for.

"Guys! I found the Fusion Portal!" I called over the sounds of Dynamite Mouse battle cries, sonic scream and sounds of lasers leaving their weapons.

"What? Where!" Mallory asked, stopping her attack.

"It's this way. Follow me!" I called, turning and heading back.

"Alice! Hold on!" Palmar shouted.

I didn't do as he ordered. We needed to stop the Fusion; isn't that what Palmar kept saying? I ran back to the bumper car and looked around. There was a jump pad and floating platforms. I quickly headed over, jumping on the pad and onto the platforms. Sounds of feet behind me informed me that someone was following, though who I didn't know. I jumped onto the carnival tents, hopped on the zip line and landed on the other carnival tent, next to the Fusion Portal. I turned, to see who had followed, but I was collided with from behind, sending us onto the Portal and the tentacles wrapping around us as we entered the lair. I felt us land on the ground, the person landing on me as I released a moan of pain.

"Sorry," the person, I recognized to be Mallory, apologized as she helped me up.

"It's alright," I answered, looking around. "The guys didn't follow?"

"No. They told me to catch up with you," Mallory answered. "So this is where the Fusions live?"

"Just Fusion Bloo," I answered, looking around.

My NanoCom beeped, and I grabbed it, seeing Bloo's face on the screen.

"Well, you've found Fusion Bloo. Clearly, he's the one who stole my juice box. Have at it, kid! I'm sooo thiiirsty!" Bloo said over the Com before disappearing.

"We already knew that," Mallory commented.

"We need to find Fusion Bloo and stop him," I said, placing my Com on my waist and headed through the lair.

Like in the other lair, Fusion Monsters were waiting for us. We fought off the Dynamite Mouses as we went.

"Geez. Never realized how many Monsters there are," Mallory commented.

"There is a lot," I commented.

"So what path do we take?" Mallory asked, looking between the two paths.

I looked between the two before nodding my head forward.

"This way," I said as I led the way.

We continued to down the path, encountering the Mouses as we went until we came to a two-way path. I guided her down the left, remembering other lairs where this occurred. We took another left and arrived in the clearing, seeing Fusion Bloo walking around. I raised my weapon and shot at the Fusion, getting its attention as it headed towards us. Mallory took a stance and released her sonic scream, making the Fusion falter in its advancement. We continued to attack the Fusion until the Fusion turned into the Fusion Matter. The Matter swirled and became a Nano.

"Wow. So this is what Dexter called a Nano?" Mallory asked as the Nano circled around me. "He's kind of cute."

"Do you see Bloo's juicebox?" I asked, looking around.

"Juice? Can I have juice?" my new Nano asked. "Please?"

"If we find some," I answered.

The Nano gave a small victory cheer before disappearing into the NanoCom.

"So that's it?"

"Yes. Now we have to head to the Fusion Portal over there and leave," I answered as I led the way.

"I'll admit, that Fusion was tougher than I thought," Mallory commented as she followed.

"They usually are," I replied. "Very mean too."

"So how many Fusions have you beaten?" she asked.

"Uhh..." I began to count the Fusion's on my fingers. "14? I think. I'll have to count my Nanos."

"Wow that's a lot," Mallory commented.

"Yeah. We beat four in today alone," I replied.

Mallory's eyes seemed to widen and her mouth opened a little in shock. She didn't say anything as we stepped onto the Fusion Portal and arrived back into the Infected Zone. We headed off the tent roofs and to the ground, meeting up with Palmar and the twins.

"How'd the Fusion go?" Trent asked.

"We beat it," Mallory said. "And Alice got herself a new Nano, who's actually cute."

"Anything on the juice box Bloo wanted us to get?" Brent asked.

"No. There wasn't any," I answered.

"Let's go then. We don't need to be in here any longer," Palmar ordered, heading back to the platform.

We exited the Infected Zone, went back down the railing and approached Bloo and the accompanying Kids Next Door operative. Bloo looked at us.

"Well?" he asked expectantly. "Did you get my juice?"

"Sorry Bloo, but we didn't see any juice box," I answered him as kindly as I could.

"The Fusion probably drank it all," Mallory continued. "But Alice got a cool Nano out of it. It's very cute."

"I don't care about some stupid thing called a Nano! I wanted my juice box!" Bloo whined before stomping off, complaining to himself.

We watched him leave, wondering where he was going until our attention was caught by someone calling Mallory's name. We looked to see a boy with goggles on what looked like a hovering motorcycle riding towards us. Mallory whispered something incoherently under her breath. The ride, when close enough, changed to legs on the boy. He took off his goggles and looked at Mallory.

"You're not this great at hide-and-seek," the boy said with a playful look.

Mallory huffed and crossed her arms.

"Six is quicker at finding me," she commented.

"That's because he's a nanny ninja," the boy responded. His eyes then noticed the four of us behind Mallory. "Hm? These your fans or something?"

"In sorts, but they're also my friends," Mallory said.

I blinked and looked at Mallory in shock.

"We are?" I asked, hoping it didn't sound mean.

Mallory looked at me and smiled.

"Of course we are," she said, patting my shoulder. "You're really nice and I like nice people, so we're friends."

I stared at her still in shocked, surprised to have gained a friend so quickly.

"Anyways, this is my friend from Providence, the place I work," she said. "Guys, this is Rex. He's an Evo, like me. Rex, these are my newest friends, Alice Spacebyte and... er... hm, I don't know their names."

"I'm Palmar Whitts and these are the twins Brent and Trent Gemini," Palmar introduced.

"Nice to meet all of you, but we gotta go," Rex said.

"Seriously? Rex, you usually enjoy being out of Providence. Why do we have to go back?" Mallory questioned.

"Aside from the Fissure? We've been having those Monsters try to sneak into the base for the longest time," Rex answered.

"Fusion Monsters?" Palmar asked.

"Providence probably has something they're after," Trent offered. "Technology... weaponry... things like that."

"Whatever they want, we can't let them get in," Rex said.

"Fuse can't get an upper hand in this war, so we'll come and help," Palmar offered.

"Before you do that, Numbuh One requested to see you Alice," the female operative said, coming towards us.

"Numbuh One? He knows I'm here?" I asked.

I haven't spoken to him in the longest time. Last time I saw him, he was more than upset with me. The operative nodded.

"I had to inform him what was going on. He's in Townsville Park with two adults, one going by the name of Max Tennyson and the other Scotsman," she said.

"What a weird name," Brent whispered to his brother.

"The three need to see you right away," the operative continued.

"We could drop them off on the way," Rex offered.

"But it's getting late," Mallory continued. "Why not go see what these people need then head back to Providence tomorrow? If they really need us, they'll call, right? Plus, we're close by."

Rex seemed to think about what Mallory had said before looking up at us and nodded.

"Alright, sounds like a plan," he said. "We'll walk there."

"Hey Mallory, you said you'd explain what an Evo is," Brent said, walking beside Mallory.

"Oh yeah. Well you see, about five years ago..."

The trip to Townsville Park was occupied with Mallory explaining what an Evo was. Strange. How come I don't remember hearing about this, yet it was all over the news? We soon entered Townsville Park (looking like it was hit with a bomb). Even from where I stood, I was able to see the outline of an Infected Zone.

"Alice! Alice Spacebyte!"

We looked in the direction of the voice to find an old man in a Hawaiian shirt run up to us.

"Glad you arrived safely. My name is Max Tennyson, but you can call me Grandpa Max," he said with a warm smile.

He was very nice. He guided us to the camp he, Numbuh One and Scotsman had set up. It seemed Dexter had placed them in charge of tactical planning, which was strange since Numbuh One is always against helping adults. Said kid was with a Scottish man by a table, both looking at it. He looked up at us, and I hid behind Mallory, not wanting to face Numbuh One's wrath again. He was probably still very mad.

"Alright Numbuh One," Max said. "Do you want to explain to them why we need them here?"

"Maybe tomorrow?" Trent, surprisingly the one to ask this, asked hopefully. "Alice's got to be very tired and we can't keep fighting Fusions."

"And what makes ye think we need yers help with a Fusion?" the Scotsman questioned.

"Well why else would you call us? That's usually why we're called," Brent offered.

"Very well. Get some rest tonight and we'll discuss your mission tomorrow," Numbuh One said curtly.

"The girls can sleep in the Rustbucket while the boys in the tents," Max said.

I was about to protest, not feeling right about it -shouldn't Max and the others be in the motor home?-, but Mallory placed an arm around my shoulders and guided me into the motor home. I could feel Numbuh One's gaze on me as I entered the seemingly old motor home.

"Don't worry about it Alice. It's a nice warm night. If anything, they're lucky," Mallory said, trying to ease my nerves. "Whoa. Come check out all the cool tech they've got in here."

As I looked around the motor home with Mallory, getting to know her more, I couldn't help but wonder what Numbuh One wanted us for.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"For the war. For the war. For the war."

Dexter kept repeating the phrase as he stood at the front door of the evil simian genius Mojo Jojo. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the iron door. Moments later, a monkey servant appeared.

"What do you want, pink boy?" it asked in a sneer.

Dexter's biting words stayed on his tongue, not being allowed to slip out of his mouth. He had to be diplomatically if he was going to talk to Mojo.

"I'm here to speak with your master, Mojo Jojo," Dexter informed with professionalism.

Maybe because he simply knew when someone was saying his name (or perhaps he was standing near the door waiting to see who it was, maybe the Powerpuffs so he could catch them with a surprise attack), Mojo appeared behind his monkey servant.

"I, Mojo Jojo, shall take over the conversation from here," Mojo said with his usual arrogance.

His servant hurriedly left. Mojo guided his guest into his volcano home and to a comfortable sitting place.

"So. What is your meaning of this visiting with myself?" Mojo asked.

"It has come to my attention from some fighters that they must travel vast distances in short time, and finding it very difficult," Dexter began. "I've noticed that you've been practicing flight travel with your monkeys, and they've been very successful."

"Of course they have!" Mojo butted in. "I, Mojo Jojo, am a genius."

"Of course," Dexter nodded, doing his best to stay on Mojo's good side. "That is why I was wondering if you would be willing to show the world your genius and place your minions at different areas to help the fighters travel around the world. It'll help us defeat Fuse."

Mojo placed a glove hand on his chin in deep thought. Dexter watched him patiently, hoping Mojo would logically see where he was coming from and assist. Logic ruled. Mojo looked at Dexter, crossed his arms, and nodded.

"Very well. I, Mojo Jojo, shall assist you, your puny mind, and the puny minds of your fighters to defeat Fuse with my monkey minions," Mojo said, before muttering to himself, "It may even get Michelle to like me again."

Dexter nodded, not hearing what he said afterwards.

"Thank you Mojo Jojo," he said. "Oh, and I have one more question for you."

"Hm?"

"Will you also consider being a guide for some fighters?" Dexter asked.

Mojo blinked, allowing his surprise to show. He hadn't expected this.

"What?"

* * *

**A/N: And done! Hope you all enjoyed it. It was rushed, I know, but I still liked it. But what are your opinions? I noticed this is the first time I've had Monsters in an Infected Zone, but I thought it'd work. Will I put Monsters in other Infected Zones? Unsure at the moment. And I've left us on a cliffhanger of sorts. What do you think is needed by the three tacticians?**

**Okay, so I know I didn't include Evos on the list for you to make characters for. When I started this story, I didn't know about Evos so I didn't include them. I used **Mallory** as an Evo because she was too much of a hassle to switch from Evo to fighter. Will I be allowing more Evos? No. Don't argue, I said no.**

**I changed Nano Bloo's personality. I'm giving the NPC the personality from the show, but is Nano will be from the first movie, when he was nicer and everything.**

**I noticed I've used Dexter a lot at the end of the chapters. The role is to mainly add things to the war, like the guides and the vehicles and now the Monkey Skyagents. Also, during the conversation, I made a reference. Does anyone know what reference I made?**

**The next chapter is my favorite to write. Questions will be answered, **Alice** will learn who she really is, and we'll get to meet someone - or rather, some**_**thing**_** - new.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	13. What You're Made Of

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. This is honestly, my favorite chapter and I've been giddy to write it. Why? Well, you'll have to read to find out. Hopefully, you all enjoy it like I do. This is going to be a long chapter. Also, to get a better image of what the woman in here looks like, go to deviant art and type in the search bar: **Fusion Fall Keltic Alice**. My girl should show up.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Thirteen:** What You're Made Of

* * *

It fet very nice to sleep after fighting four tough Fusions yesterday, but I knew we had to get up a working. Mallory was still snoozing by me, and I didn't have it in my heart to wake her up. I slowly folded up the blankets I used and placed them on the seat. I opened the door and peeked out. The boys were still sleeping (I could hear Brent's snoring from here) while the three minds were awake around the table we greeted them at.

"Awh, the first wee-little one is awake," Scotsman said in a gentle voice, obviously for the sake of letting those sleeping stay asleep.

"Alice, come here. We will inform you quickly so you will know," Numbuh One said in his crisp voice.

Like an obedient dog I stepped towards him, standing between him and the Scotsman. Numbuh One was staring at me with from behind his glasses, so it was hard to tell what his eyes were reading.

"Alice, before you is a 3 dimendional, interactive map of the Fissure, the Infected Zone here in the Park," Numbuh One began. "This map shows us the key points of the Fissure, allowing us to observe it and ensure that it does not be destroyed."

"Do you notice something strange about this one?" Max asked.

I blinked, looked it over as carefully as I could, but looked back up and shook my head. What was I looking for?

"This," Max said as he pointed at the Fusion Portal at the very bottom. "Has always been here."

"A Fusion."

"Yes, but notice its tentacles? They're not moving," Max continued.

"We believe the Fusion isn't home," the Scotsman said.

"Is this why you called?"

"No. There's another reason," Max answered.

"This," Numbuh One said, pointing at _another_ Fusion Portal, "is what we called you about. There's another Fusion Portal within the Zone, and it's activated."

I stared at it in shock. This was the first time I've seen a second Fusion in an Infected Zone. It was perplexing.

"There's more. See these small spheres?" Max pointed out. I nodded. "They weren't here two days ago. We believe they're something that'll destroy the Fissure even more. And we're planning to place these down there."

"What are those?" I asked, looking at the device in Max's hand.

"They're called Seismec Emmiters," Max answered. "We're planning placing them in the Fissure, to keep it stable."

"Do you need me to deactivate those spheres and place the emmiters?" I asked.

"We're splitting the team up," Numbuh One said. "With the addition of those two Evos -yes I already know who they are-, we've gone over what we'll do. I'm going to send the boys on placing in the emmiters while you, Mallory, and me deactivate the spheres."

I nodded, taking it in.

"And the Fusion?"

"Afterwards."

"It won't do ye ne good if the Fissure falls on all yas," Scotsman said.

I blushed at his logic and nodded.

"Should we wake the others and begin?" I asked.

Numbuh One nodded, heading off to wake the others. Max was chuckling, making me look at him in question. He seemed better at reading me than others.

"He tried to wake you all up earlier, but Mallory threatened to blow his ears out if he woke you and your teammates up," Max answered. "Something about 'fighting four Fusions for the war' came up."

I blinked, surprised by Mallory's initiative, before smiling. She's truly a nice friend. Oh, speaking of her...

"So help me kid, if you woke her up-"

"I assure you, she woke up on her own."

Mallory came out of the RV with a scoff.

"Liar."

"He's telling the truth Mallory," I said, coming to Numbuh One's defense. "I thought I had slept in, so I woke up and came out here."

Mallory smiled warmly at me.

"Morning Alice. Alright, if you say so," she said. "Are the boys up?"

"I'm about to wake them up," Numbuh One answered. "I'll fill you in on everything later."

Palmar had thrown a near fit when he heard the plan. We stood in the back, and from what I saw, Mallory was watching with wide eyes. Rex only watched with mild surprise. Numbuh One wasn't. He stood with his arms crossed, a glare dead set on Palmar. I was busy being hugged to death by the twins.

"She's not leaving our sight."

"She'll be fine under my sight. She was with me before you and your little followers came along," Numbuh One argued calmly.

"Boys, there's no need to argue," Max said, trying to break it up.

"She's staying with us. Take those two," Palmar said.

"We've already decided," Numbuh One said.

"It's okay Palmar," I broke in, freeing myself of Brent and Trent's grasp. "I don't mind going with Numbuh One and Mallory."

Palmar and the twins looked at me in shock. I stood my ground, wondering if I upset them. Slowly, Palmar nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Just make sure you take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Mallory said.

Palmar looked over at Mallory and nodded.

"Make sure she doesn't leave your sight," he ordered.

With everyone agreeing, we set out for the Fissure, entering and appearing inside. We stepped to the edge and looked over. I took a gulp and a step back. That sure was a long way down. Numbuh One was about to go over what the boys were suppose to do when the Scotsman appeared on my screen. He looked upset.

"Numbuh One! Tho'e spheres activated! They're traps!" he warned.

My eyes nearly fell out of my head as I heard this. Numbuh One looked ticked.

"Move it!" he shouted to all of us, taking the lead as he leapt off the edge.

"C'mon!" Mallory said as she took my wrist and copied Numbuh One.

It wasn't a race against the team (as Mallory and Rex had suggested because they wanted to see who was better), but now against time. We didn't know how much time, but I had a feeling it was running out. Numbuh One was fast. He was leaving myself and a frustrated Mallory behind. We stopped at the first trap and quickly de-bombed it, then continued on as quickly as we could to the next.

"Alice, pull up the map I placed in your Com," Numbuh One ordered. "You should be able to see the bombs."

"Okay," I said, doing as he ordered. I grabbed my NanoCom and pulled up the virtual map of the Fissure. "We have three more bombs."

I think I heard Numbuh One curse under his breath, but he didn't repeat. He simply picked up the speed and landed from one platform to the next, trying to get ahead. Mallory and I followed.

"Can't I just use my sonic blasts?" she asked from her spot behind him.

"And cause a cave in?" he replied sarcastically. "A _brilliant_ plan."

Mallory huffed and crossed her arms.

"Just a thought," she said, before muttering as she looked away, "British creep."

Numbuh One must have heard because he turned and glared at her, but the appearance of the next trap grabbed his attention as he bounded for it. The bombs were easy to destroy, just getting to them was hard. They were well spread apart. The last one was at the far back against the wall. We took it out, releasing steady breaths as we realized the danger had passed.

"I wonder how much time we had left," Mallory said.

"You guys done already?" Rex's voice asked.

We turned to see the boys coming up to us, Brent briefly sticking the Emmiter in its place before joining us.

"So, danger adverted?" Brent asked.

"Not yet," Numbuh One said with a shake of his head. "We still have to get rid of the Fusion in here."

"It should be a piece of cake. There's seven of us. If we can't beat a Fusion, who can?" Brent asked in confidence.

"Then let's go. I've been dying to beat up on a Fusion," Rex said, punching his fist into his palm.

"I remember seeing it back that way," Palmar said. "Follow me."

We headed at a fast pace to the Portal, though as we neared, I had a feeling of dread. Something wasn't right. As a group, we stepped onto the Portal, waiting for the tentacles to do their stuff. They continued to sway, ignore our presences. We looked at it in shock, then to each other, wondering what had gone wrong. Before our eyes, the Portal began to vanish, and that's when we realized it...

...it was a trap.

The information came to late as I felt something slimy climb up my legs. Looking down, I found green Matter traveling up my body quickly, already coming to my chin before I could react. All I could hear was my name before everything went black and there was no sound.

_This isn't good._

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"Alice!"

The green Matter had consumed the brunette much in the same manner as Chad. Numbuh One was clearly angry as it began to take form, becoming a Fusion version of Alice. The Fusion opened her red eyes and stood fully before floating off the ground. She closed her eyes before opening them in a narrowed glare.

"Pathetic life," she said.

"It can talk!" the twins shouted.

"I'm guessing that's not normal," Rex commented.

"I'm guessing anything but," Mallory answered. "What are we suppose to do?"

Numbuh One stayed frozen, though his mind was still working. He didn't want to fight Alice - he'd sworn to protect her- but what could one do? They couldn't let this Fusion copy kill them. No. As much as it pained him to even suggest it... Numbuh One closed his eyes and composed himself.

"We have to fight her."

Palmar's eyes were already enflamed as he yelled at Numbuh One.

"Are you insane! Alice may be in there! We'll kill her if we fight!" Palmar shouted.

"Well if you've got any plans on staying alive I'd love to hear them," Numbuh One shot back as he took out his 2x4 weapon.

The frustrated snarl he received was his answer that Palmar had not. Rex, knowing when it was tough to follow an order given, nodded and activated his Smackhands. He jumped for the Fusion who had been watching them with little interest.

"If you're in there Alice, sorry for doing this," he apologized as he pulled back his right hand.

He launched it to hit the Fusion, but Fusion Alice held out her palm and laid it on the metal fist, stopping the attack. Mallory's and Rex's eyes widened, only seeing a few beings who could do that. The Fusion looked at the Evo with an annoyed look and threw him aside. He fell and hit the ground with a thud.

"Rex! You okay?" Mallory called.

"I'll be fine, just gotta make the world stop spinning," Rex answered.

Mallory glared at the Fusion and opened her mouth. Before she could get the chance to activate her sonic scream, a goo ball stuck itself over her mouth. She glared at it and began a vicious battle to rip it off. Her attention was then caught by Numbuh One, who had jumped in the air and fired at her. The Fusion held up her arms in protection, allowing the blasts to hit, but they didn't affect her as badly as the leader had hoped. Before he could make his descend, she grabbed him by his neck and began to squeeze the air out of his lungs.

"All of you are pathetic. Does not one of you have the power to take me on?"

"Give us three a try," Palmar said as he and his friends unleashed lasers from their weaponry.

The Fusion looked over at them, dropped the Sector V boy and flew at them, raising her hand and sending out Matter balls at all three of them, able to hit them in the chest.

"Still pathetic," she muttered.

"We can't let it escape this Fissure!" Numbuh One ordered as he got back up to take on the Fusion.

Mallory was able to rip the goo off her mouth and glared at Fusion Alice angrily. She opened her mouth, and was this time able to release her sonic scream on the Fusion. The Fusion raised an arm, defending her from the most of the blow. When Mallory closed her mouth and cut off the attack, the Fusion of her friend launched out and slammed Mallory against the wall, causing the girl to release a hiss of pain. Who knew meek Alice's Fusion would be physically strong?

The Fusion floated backwards, allowing herself to assess the damage she had done. Numbuh One ran at her, hoping to gain an upper hand in the fight, but he was wrong. She grabbed him and threw him away from her, allowing him to fall near Rex who helped him up. The Fusion floated high into the air and raised her hands. All six battlers found themselves being lifted off the ground and into the air. The Fusion then threw her hands down, sending the fighters to the ground painfully. Fusion Alice then snapped her fingers, having Fusion Spawns appear from out of thin air and fall towards the Earthling fighters.

"I hope Alice is still in there," Mallory muttered to herself as she got to her hands and knees.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

I was falling. That was my first sense. I was falling through darkness; I couldn't see where I was going 'till I felt my feet touched the ground. I opened my eyes and stared in shock at the scenery. I was no longer in the Fissure, but in a much more beautiful place. I was in a garden under a bright, yellow sun in a blue sky. In the distance was a tan building built like a building from the ancient Greek era. Foot steps behind me made turn and look at the person. She was beautiful with long blue hair going to her waist and ocean blue eyes that were warm, kind, and wise. She was taller and older than me, yet still young looking. Her outfit was a long, flowy long-sleeved shirt with the shirt going to her mid-thighs. From the top of her chest, along the sleeves and to the wrist was a blue material while the rest of the shirt was white and a black stripe (or perhaps a belt?) was around her waist. She wore blue tights and black slippers with a strap. She walked with grace and stopped several feet before me. I stared at her in awe as she smiled at me. She nodded slowly.

"Greetings, Alice," she said.

I stiffened and stared at her in shock. How did she know my name? And why was her voice so familiar?

"You do not need to fear me. I have been beside you since your birth."

I continued to stare at her in shock, not understanding. Can she read my mind?

"Yes." _Crud!_ "I am part of you, and therefore, know all about you."

"O-okay. Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Arthena. I am the Keltic part of you."

"Keltic?"

"Yes. You are from the planet Kelt," Arthena said with a nod.

Kelt. So I was Keltic.

"Are you what Keltics look like?"

"Some. Our hair color is the same, as is the color of our clothing, but we wear both in many styles."

"I see. Can you tell me more about myself? About my planet?" I asked. For the first time in my life, I'd know who I'd really am; why I felt so separate from everyone.

Arthena nodded.

"Of course," she said, before her facial expression turned grave. "The planet Kelt has been around for eons, being older than Earth. Your race values intelligence and are peaceful, not using their powers for their existence. They haven't used their powers because they've never needed to. Your father had been on the council board, a respected member, before retiring shortly before your birth."

I had a dad?

"Shortly after your birth, Fuse appeared."

My eyes widened at the mention of the enemy. He had been to my planet?

"Yes. He feared the Keltics for they had the power to stop and defeat him,... but they haven't used it in such a long time that they forgot how to. In an effort to save their race, they sent the children into space to repopulate... only you survived."

"The others were...killed?" I asked with wide eyes.

Arthena nodded gravely.

"Yes... the entire Keltic race par you was killed without a fighting chance. Kelt was his biggest threat, and with the planet out of the way, he felt he could continue through the galaxy and rule. In an effort to keep you safe, I produced a white light to outline you and make you shine, giving off the effect that you were a comet," Arthena continued and explained. "You then crash landed on Earth, and have been there ever since. I did my best to keep your Keltic energy level at a low, but Fuse somehow sensed your power, and now, he wants to destroy you."

So that's why Fuse has been after me... But did I cause all this?

"No," Arthena said with the slightest of smiles as she shook her head, reading my mind again. "Fuse would have come to the planet whether you were here or not... but Earth has its advantage. You." Yeah, I've heard that before.

"But what can I do? I don't know how to fight, or use my powers. Wait, what are my powers?"

"You are a Psychokinetic, like your people. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes," I answered, remembering I did a research project on the umbrella term.

"Very good, then I will not have to explain much of it. You must know that your powers, once awakened, will make you unstoppable. Fuse will not stand a chance, and this is why he wishes to make you dead," Arthena said.

"But I still don't know how to wield it, and my friends *Gasp!* My friends!"

"I know," Arthena said, "the Matter that consumed you produced a Fusion clone. But you're in no condition to defend them, let alone fight the Fusion."

"But I have-"

"No. I will take over for you," Arthena interrupted.

"You will?"

"Yes," she answered. "You just need to rest."

"Rest?"

"Yes. To regain your strength, you must rest."

I suddenly began to feel tired and felt my legs grow weak. Everything around me began to grow black, and the setting began to disappear. Even Arthena began to look hazy in my vision as she stared at me kindly.

"Rest young one," she said calmly. "Rest."

Everything went black as I fell unconscious.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Mallory stood her ground, her sonic screams keeping the Spawns at bay as her friends got to their feet. She could still see the Fusion from where she was. How was it that the Fusion could look so calm?

"Mallory, move back when I fell you to...Now!"

Mallory closed her mouth and jumped back as Rex, his Smackhands activated, landed where she used to stand, his hands causing an Earthquake that destroyed the Spawns. In their place, new ones were spawned.

"They never die!" Brent shouted in frustration.

Mallory sighed and fell to her butt, out of breath and needing energy. They then heard the Fusion release cries of pain. They looked up and watched as the Fusion twisted and turned in the air, holding itself in pain. A bright light caused all of their eyes to close. When they reopened them, they found two identical beings facing each other in the air. The two looked identical from the hair to the face to the body to the clothing. The major difference was their coloring. The first being was peach-skinned with blue hair with some hair pulled back into a small ponytail that laid against the rest of the hair going to the waist and glowing blue eyes. The other being had dark green hair in the same style and length and red eyes.

Both their clothing consisted of a long, flowy long-sleeved shirt with the shirt going to the mid-thighs, tights, and slippers. From the top of the peach's chest, along the sleeves and to the wrist was a blue material while the rest of the shirt was white and a black stripe was around the waist. The tights were black and the slippers with a strap were black. On the green skinned being, the blue was replaced with black, the white with green, and the tights were black. Despite their differences in identically, the fighters down below could identify the blue haired one as Alice and the green haired one as her Fusion. Alice was outlined in a white light while her Fusion decided to outline herself in green.

"Alice! She's alive!" Mallory shouted with joy.

Alice didn't respond as she looked over her shoulder and down at the fighters. She raised a hand and sent what looked like an energy force at the Spawns, killing them on contact. Her comrades were stunned into silence. Mallory's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to connect to Alice's mind. Being that she controlled sound, she'd been working on listening to another's mind and connecting to it. She was shocked when she was rebuffed, not being able to even _find_ her friend's mind, let alone _touch _it.

_What's going on?_ she thought.

'Alice', satisfied that her friends were safe, turned back and gave her fullest attention to the Fusion who was observing her newest opponent. Her eyes then began to glow red, much like Alice's eyes.

"Arthena," the Fusion spoke, but not in the female voice from before. This time, it was a masculine voice, deep like a typical Hollywood monster and full of hate. "You are the presences I sensed. You were stopping me from sensing the baby."

"And I succeeded too, Fuse," Arthena spoke through Alice, though her voice too wasn't Alice.

"You failed. I have found her, and made a copy," Fuse said.

"But copies are no good," Arthena argued calmly. "This one will fall like the other fourteen."

"Not if I'm in control!" Fuse bellowed.

Fusion Alice launched at Alice. Alice moved out of the way and drew her Shooting Star Blade. A white flame-like substance emitted from the blade as Alice swung down and struck her Fusion in the back. The Fusion released a cry of anger and pain as her claw-like nails sharpened and she swiped at Alice. Alice raised a palm and formed a force-field around her. She then threw the field down and swung again, hitting the Fusion. The Fusion released a screech and slammed Alice into the wall. The humans and Evos watched in shock at the fight, not believing what they're seeing, what they heard... they believed none of it.

"Was that... really Fuse?" Brent asked his brother.

"I... I think so," Trent answered.

"This world will fall, starting with the girl!" Fuse shouted.

"As long as I live, this will never come to be," Arthena responded.

"Then I'll just have to fix that," Fuse said as Fusion Alice lunged for her original self.

Alice raised her weapon and managed to land a slice on her Fusion's arm, opening a wound. The Fusion held her arm and hissed before floating backwards. Her eyes were narrowed at Alice, and then, to everyone's surprise, the green alien began to melt into Fusion Matter that flew upward, through the Infected Zone and towards its home planet. 'Alice' watched it leave before closing her eyes. The glowing light around her faded and she began to fall towards the ground.

"Alice!" her friends shouted as they rushed to catch her.

Rex and Numbuh One got their first, catching her before she could hit the ground and cause any damage. She looked to be sleeping peacefully, barely scratched from her most recent fight. Her friends still looked at her in worry, wondering what had happened.

"C'mon, we'll take her back to Providence," Rex suggested.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

"Wait, run me by on that? She just appeared out of it from _light_?" a female asked.

"Like I said doc, light. She and her Fusion dueled it out till the Fusion high-tailed it out of there," Rex's voice said.

"And yet these two didn't have their normal voices? Alice had someone named Arthena in her while the Fusion was being controlled by Fuse?" a male voice asked.

Who were these new voices? Where am I? Why can't I open my eyes? Why am I hurting?

_**I'm sorry Alice. I used more power than I thought. The reprucussions are now that your bones are upset with me. You must rest a little more for them to heal.**_

_Arthena. What happened?_

_**I fought a Fusion form of yourself. Fuse was controlling her.**_

_Fuse? You fought him._

_**Not physically. I will show you.**_ Images of what occurred while my mind rested now filled my head, allowing me to see and hear everything. It was incredible._**You are now at Providence, being cared for.**_

"Well, she's stable. She'll make a full recovery by the end of the day," the woman said.

"You're amazing doc. Did anyone tell you that?" Rex asked.

"Stop kissing up to Holiday Rex," Mallory's voice said.

The woman, my guess a Doctor Holiday?, sighed and shook her head.

"Come on Six. All of you, don't bother her or try to wake her up. She needs all the rest she can get," Holiday said.

"Sure sure," a chorus of voices said.

"See Numbuh One, all adults aren't bad," Brent's voice said, trying to convince Numbuh One.

I could hear Numbuh One "hmph".

"She and the green-suited ninja may be nice, but I do not trust his boss," Numbuh One said. "He's already crossed lines with the Kids Next Door, so he's on our list."

"He's on e'eryone's list, kid," a gruff voice said.

Who were they talking about? I wanted to find out, and see all of them and make sure they're safe, and so I made my eyes open. Baaaaaaaaaaaad idea. I forgot that hospital rooms could be super white and that bright lights mixed with white caused major headaches. I closed my eyes with a groan, which made murmurs from all around me, and forced my eyes to open again, this time much slower. I was met with relieved smiling faces (and, was that a monkey smiling at me?).

"Oh Alice you're awake!" Mallory said, hugging me. "I'm so glad."

"Glad to see you're still among us," Brent joked, getting a whack up the head by his brother.

"How are you feeling?" Numbuh One asked, surprisingly soft.

"Uhm...okay. My bones ache, but A...I should be fine."

I moved myself into a sitting up position and looked at them.

"So, did I miss anything new?" I asked for the sake of asking.

"Well... you've got a look upgrade," Rex offered, getting slapped in the head by Mallory.

I blinked at him, but Palmar already had a mirror ready. I looked at myself and couldn't believe what I saw. My hair, still in the same hair style, was now blue. I blinked and looked at it for a long time, noticing that it looked a lot like Arthena's hair. In the mirror, I then noticed it looked like Arthena's. I was almost identical to her, except my tights were black.

"Wow," I muttered.

"Yeah. Any idea how it happened?" Palmar asked.

_Yes._ "No."

Palmar frowned but nodded.

"Well, we should let you rest. I gotta go talk to Dexter and inform him on what happened," Palmar said.

"That sounds like fun," Rex said with a dead-panned look. "But I agree. I'll come back with some food later, okay?"

I nodded and watched as they left. I was left to myself and my thoughts, observing the tile on the ceiling before I grew bored.

_Arthena?_

_**Yes Alice?**_

_I've been wondering..._

_**Why did Megas and the Monsters and Fusions feel so familiar?**_

_Yes._

_**Keltics always want the feeling of connection. They want to be connected to someone or something. It is done without a thought, so no one really feels it. For you, however, you do not have other Keltics to connect to, so you soon connect yourself with other aliens. This allows you to identify what or who is an alien.**_

_Then what about..._

_**Ben? He is human, but his watch isn't. When it's in use, then yes, you'll feel the connection. When not in use, you will not.**_

_That's it? Okay. Thank you. That's been bugging me for the longest time._

_**It was no trouble Alice.**_

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to find Rex shaking my shoulder. I looked up at him and yawned, stretching myself.

"I'm up," I told him.

"Good. I've got you some food. You must be starving," he said.

I nodded, not realizing I actually was. However, my questioning was hungrier.

"Rex... when I... blanked out... when I was... that Fusion, what happened?" I asked, not taking a bite.

"Your Fusion attacked. Pretty tough too. None of us could even dent it," Rex answered.

"None?" I asked with slight worry.

"Yeah. It was really powerful. Stopped my attack with just the palm of its hand," Rex said, shaking his head at the memory. "But don't worry yourself about it."

"Okay. What about the monkey?" I asked.

"Oh, that's just Bobo. He's my pet sidekick," Rex answered. "It's getting late, why don't you get some rest?"

I smiled a fake smile and nodded, watching him leave before pushing the food away. I wasn't hungry. I looked over my shoulder and out the window to see the moon with the shadow of Fuse against it. What if my Fusion came back? What if she hurt my friends while I was here? I can't let them get more hurt,... not for me. I closed my eyes and leaned into my bed. What could I do? Hmmmm... I opened my eyes and swung my legs over the bed.

I'll just have to leave.

* * *

**A/N: Left us at a cliffhanger. Pretty proud of myself for working on this chapter. It was my favorite to write for some strange reason. Hopefully, it didn't seem rushed to all of you. I hope the fighting scenes weren't terrible.**

Arthena** is a name mixture of **_Art_emes and At_hena_.** Both names mean wisdom, along with some other things, which I wanted Arthena to represent. Hopefully, she answered most of your questions about **Alice**. And yes, they are Greek. This wasn't my intention at first, but in class we were in Greek tragedy, and it became stuck with me.**

**Okay, this was a very hard chapter to write. I had to constantly check myself to make sure I didn't sound too Superman-y. This chapter was inspired by Superman, BLEACH, Avatar the Last Airbender, Star Trek the Original Series, and some Naruto. Try to pick out where each one fits (they can be used for the same thing).**

**What will the next chapter contain? A surprise! ^^ I'm not going to give it away, so you'll just have to be patient.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	14. On My Own

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. This chapter was based on an idea from my other would-be story. This chapter is also influenced by the song **_Stand in the Rain_ **by **Superchic[k]**. I suggest you listen to it (just because it's an awesome song). This song is basically the chapters theme. Basically. If you want to see what other songs are used in this story, I suggest going to my page because where the rest of them are and where in the story they belong. I always liked the idea of songs in a story. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Be warned, I switched up the Nano Mission in here. You'll see where. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SO PLEASE DO NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Fourteen:** On My Own

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

The clouds had moved in that night, going against all weather reports. The clouds, almost as if acting on their own, wanted to no longer see Planet Fusion, so it covered the Earth with clouds, covering the stars and the moon. With the moon covered, there was no light. It was pitch black.

The dark clouds were what everyone woke up to the next morning. not even the sun could break through the clouds. Dexter found it a nice distraction from Fuse's planet, but the scenery was all too gloomy for the scientist. Gloom was never good for anyone's morals.

As the day was beginning, a high-pitched scream was emitted from an unknown source, though Mojo would swear that the scream was louder than anyone scream he'd ever heard. The scream had come from Providence, and anyone who wasn't awake before was now awake.

"Mallory sounds upset," Bobo commented as the group of Rex, Holiday, Six, White Knight (via monitor), Palmar, the twins, Numbuh One, Max, and Scotsman sat in the planning room.

Mallory came running into the room, looking upset, scared, worried, and a bit of questioning. Strange emotions considering she went to check on Alice who was in her bed. Did Alice not look that good?

"What's up Mal?" Rex asked.

"It's Alice! She's not in her bed!" Mallory informed.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

"What?" Palmar asked.

"She's not in her bed?" Numbuh One demanded.

Mallory shook her head.

"She wasn't there," Mallory said again.

"She somehow escaped our watch," Holiday commented.

"Our monitors show no temperament," Six reported.

"You mean she disappeared out of _thin air?_" Numbuh One demanded with a glare.

"Even I can't do that," Mallory commented.

"I was with her last night, but I turned in early," Rex said. "She must have left after that."

"What are we going to do about Fuse?" Brent asked. "You know he'll go after her."

"Do you think Fuse _took_ her?" Trent suggested.

Mallory, once worried, now looked angry at the very thought.

"That monster! I'll _kill_ him if he hurt her," Mallory said, her eyes a blazed with fire.

"He's still on his planet. How can you get up there with everything grounded?" Palmar questioned.

Mallory looked at Rex and her teammates.

"The Space Elevator?"

"Been destroyed and hasn't been fixed," White Knight answered from the safety of his screen.

"The elevator broke the Treaty between the adults and the Kids Next Door," Numbuh One informed.

"Providence had no agreement with your afterschool program," White insulted.

"Afterschool-!" Numbuh One growled angrily at the man in white.

"Enough you two! This isn't helping to find Alice," Max said, trying to be a voice of reason.

"If Fuse and his goons nabbed her, we would have known," Rex said. "He would have made a show about it, sending in Monsters."

"Then she willingly left," Six concluded.

The twins, looking dismayed, looked at each other and said,

"Left?"

"We _need_ to find her," Palmar stressed.

"Aye, we do laddie," the Scotsman said.

"But she may need some rest and time away from all of this," Max suggested. "She's been thrust into this war as our only chance of winning, and that had to have taken its toll on her. It would to anyone."

"But she can't be out there alone. Fuse will find her and kill her," Palmar argued.

"Uh, boss," Brent spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Who's gonna tell Dexter?"

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

Maybe running out of Providence in the middle of a rain storm wasn't such a smart idea, but it was too late to do anything about it now. My hands were firmly on my arms, trying to warm them up from the chill of the gloomy setting. I could have gone into one of the shops to warm up, but I couldn't afford to get notice; it defeats the whole purpose of running away. Well... could anyone recognize me? I looked at myself in the nearest window (thankfully the store was closed because otherwise this would be embarrassing). I had unusually blue hair, but still retained my gray eyes. If someone didn't know me well enough, they wouldn't recognize me. I was at least thankful the white wasn't a see-through white. Even drenched it still looked as white as I saw it before. No one (not even myself when I looked in the window) could even guess I was soaked to the bone.

I barely even remember how I left the base. I remember deforming the window (well, Arthena did that through me) and making it open wide enough for me to climb through then I returned it to its normal state. After that... well I don't remember anything after that except 'waking up' as I walked past the Sunken Mall. Arthena hasn't told me anything because she was resting, saying communication between us needed to be minimal in a hopes to not alert Fuse of my presence. I released a ragged sigh and continued down through Marquee Row before stopping at the benches in front of the fast food restaurant, the one across from the auditorium. I wrapped my arms around myself again in an attempt to keep myself warm until I felt something hugging my arm. Opening my eye, I looked to see Nano Buttercup hugging me, trying to keep me warm. I smiled thankfully at her, before feeling something holding my other arm, and looking, I discovered it to be Nano Numbuh Two. Then Nano Eddy... Then Nano Eduardo... All my Nanos appeared out of my NanoCom (yes, even Nano Him) and was hugging me, in a hopes to give me warmth. I smiled at them.

"Thank you," I said, shivering lightly when the breeze blew through. _I wonder how the others are doing. I hope my Fusion form isn't hurting them._

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"What do you _mean_ she's _missing_?" Dexter shouted over the hologram transmission.

Shortly after Alice had gone missing, Palmar had contacted Dexter via Providence's machinery. Needless to say, the cheery boy genius was now upset to discover that their only hope of winning the war had walked out of the building under their noses. They just kept underestimating the teen girl. Though Palmar had been the one to contact Dexter, it was Numbuh One who was speaking with Dexter. The ten-year-old was, in all reality, a soldier, and his leader tone could make it easier for him to deliver the disturbing news.

"Exactly as I said," Numbuh One calmly and coolly answered. "She disappeared from our sights sometime late last night. We were hoping you could find her."

"And how would I do that?" Dexter asked.

"Don't you still have her tagged?" Numbuh One asked through clenched teeth.

"No. I got rid of it when she teamed up with Palmar and the twins. _They_ were suppose to keep a watchful eye on her," Dexter said, throwing a look at Palmar.

Palmar shrugged, but not trusting his own mouth, kept it shut. The red-head only looked back at the bald operative.

"So you have no idea where she is? Or who might have taken her?" Dexter demanded, doing his best to not let his worry show.

"We thought Fuse, but we ruled that out," Brent spoke up.

"I'm still behind it!" Mallory piped up from the back.

"If it had been Fuse, his minions would have attacked the base," Six responded calmly, shooting down Mallory's thoughts.

"You suck, did anyone ever tell you that?" Mallory asked when she realized he was saying the truth.

"So we have no idea where she is?" Dexter demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This isn't good. Fuse is growing stronger, and he's surely going to be after her." He looked at them. "All of you, go out and find her. I'm going to send a red alert to everyone that she's missing and needs to be found. If Fuse finds her, or... kills her,... the war will be lost."

"Right," the assembled group said.

"Oh, but you might want to get a caricature," Bobo spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Dexter questioned the talking monkey.

"She got a make-over, or so I've heard," Bobo said.

Palmar rolled his eyes and explained her new look, making Dexter's eyebrows shoot into his hairline. He immediately set Computress to draw what was being described to him. He'd have the whole world alerted of her disappearance and need to be found.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

I heard footsteps, a lot of them, coming towards me and my Nanos. They too heard the footsteps and disappeared back in my NanoCom, not wanting to be caught. I thought it was my friends, but was relieved (and a little upset) to see that it was only Sunny Bridges and his music class. The teacher saw me, kept walking, then stopped and did a double-take. His and his student's eyes were wide, probably finding it strange that I was out here in the cold weather. I offered them an embarrassed smile.

"Hey there girl. What are you doing out in this cold and wet weather?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah. Ain't ya cold?" the boy in the sailor hat asked.

"Uhm... taking a walk?" I offered.

"That's just strange," the girl of the Asian twins commented.

"I don't think it's strange!" the blond girl spoke up with a smile. "A walk always makes me happy, even in the rain! Oh, I love to walk and sing in the rain!"

"Sure ya do Madison," the sailor hat boy said. "Well, anyways, I'm Lil'D, and these are my friends and teacher."

Lil'D, I'm guessing he's the leader of the class, introduced me to his friends and his teacher. I only remember them by face because they've preformed a few times in the auditorium that was built with donated money by Sunny Bridges, who they named the auditorium after. I smiled kindly at them.

"So, what's your name?" Tamika questioned.

"M-my name?" I repeated. Should I tell them? As much as I hated to lie, I couldn't reveal my real name. What if they recognized me? "My name is... Kyra Xyrespace."

"Really? Strange name," Philly Phil said.

I just smiled at them, hoping they'd believe it. Why shouldn't they?

"So, what are you guys doing out here?" I asked, hoping to turn the table.

"We came to look at our auditorium," Kam answered.

"What's left of it," Edward said with a sorrowful sigh.

I followed their line of sight and felt a pang of pity and sympathy for them, the same I felt for Stickybeard and his ship. The auditorium is now an Infected Zone.

"Yeah. The Ganggreen Gang were suppose to be headlining tonight, but as you can see, it's cancelled," Sunny said.

"I'm sorry. That's terrible," I said.

"Well, we can't dwell on it too much," Sunny said.

"Yeah. The auditorium may be down, but we still have our music," Kim said, trying to sound cheerful.

"I just wish I could beat Fuse up for doing this," Lil'D said as he and his group began to walk away.

"For once, I'm with you on this one Lil'D," Tamika said.

The musical group disappeared back down into Marquee Row, leaving me alone at the deserted fast food place. They must of had some sort of super powers because no sooner did they leave then the sky release a rumble and a flash of light. Seconds later, the downpour began. I shivered and clutched my arms, but I was strangely drawn to the rain. I stood up, left my excuse for protection and stepped into the rain. As I looked up, I felt my shoulders sag and then the strangest thing happened... I began to cry. My warm tears mixed with the cold droplets that hit my skin.

I crumbled to my knees, placed my head in my hands, and began to cry. I don't know why I was really crying. Maybe the pain I felt of losing my mother? Maybe I was upset in betraying my friends and leaving them? Maybe it was the stress of the war and knowing that I was the only one who could end it? I don't know, all I know was, it felt really good to cry. But I must have looked like an idiot. Crying in the middle of the street in the middle of a rain storm? But it felt good, so I couldn't let that thought get me down.

"Hey! Girl! You okay?" a voice asked, making me freeze up.

I looked upward to see a girl in punk-gothic clothing staring down at me with concerned green eyes. Funny... why do they seem familiar? I didn't say a word as I continued to release sobs. The girl took my arm, gently pulled me up and walked me towards what I believed to be the Infected Zone. On closer inspection, I was right. We headed down the red tile made to look like a red carpet and towards the ticket booth. It had an archway that we could stand under, protecting us from the onslaught of the rain. I sniffled and rubbed my tears away, avoiding looking at the girl who probably thought I had issues.

"You okay? I saw you crying in the rain. Did something happen?" Geez, even her voice sounded familiar. Who is she?

I shook my head and looked up at her, noticing despite the tough-girl look, she was looking at me with concern. I did notice the running make-up and felt bad. I don't wear make-up because it's too time consuming, but I knew girls cared about stuff like that and I felt bad.

"I-I'm sorry about your make-up," I said.

"Hm?" she asked, touching her cheek and noticing that it had make-up on it. "Awh don't worry about it. I probably look more like a punk rocker now, right?"

I smiled a little and nodded, chuckling just a bit. She flashed me a grin before it turned into a small frown as she looked me over.

"You know, you look a little funny. Your clothes don't even look drenched," she muttered.

"Yeah... they're funny like that," I said.

"Well, my name's Belladonna," Belladonna introduced. "I'm part of the Ganggreen Gang band. I came here to see if it was true, and it was. How about yourself?"

"Uh... my name's Alice. Uhm, what's true?" I asked.

"Oh, that the Auditorium's been turned into an Infected Zone. Ace told me and I had to come down here to see for myself," she answered. "But why are you all the way down here? Not many folks were out today."

"Oh, I... I just thought some fresh air would be nice. The stress has been... overwhelming," I answered cautiously.

"Stress? What are you stressed about?"

"Just... everything. The war mainly," I answered.

"Yeah. That's how everyone is," she answered and I sighed a little in relief. "You know... you wear a lot of blue. Just like a... a girl I keep seeing."

"Hm?" I asked, looking up at her.

She had a faraway look on her face before she shook her head.

"Sorry. I lost my memory a while back, and weird memories keep popping into my head at random times," she said. "All I can remember is waking up by the shoreline and Ace there. He and the band took me in, and I've been with them ever since."

My suspicions kicked in as I observed her.

"How long ago did you lose your memory?" I asked cautiously, careful to not upset her.

"Hm... about two months or so?" she responded.

No... It couldn't be...

"Do you ever see... a monkey wearing a cape?" I asked.

She stared at me for the longest time before saying, "How did you know? I've never told anyone that."

My breath caught in my throat as I took a step back and leaned against the concreted wall. I can't believe it. I can't believe it.

"Belladonna... I... I don't think that's your real name," I said, not looking at her.

"What do you mean? Of course it is," she said, but her voice gave it away that she didn't think it was either.

"I... I think your name's... Buttercup. Of the Powerpuff Girls," I said, finally looking up at her.

Her eyes widened as her crossed arms uncrossed. They fell to her sides limply.

"Wh...what?" she asked.

"I think Ace was lying to you. You said you saw a monkey with a cape. His name is Mojo Jojo. As for the girl wearing blue, that's your sister Bubbles. You have another sister, her name's Blossom and she wears pink. Your father is a well-respected scientist with a smoke pipe. All three of you girls have super powers," I explained, watching her reaction carefully.

"So... so that explains why I can hover," she said. Her eyes widened as she held her forehead and fell to the ground. I quickly rushed to her side and held her shoulders. "A-Alice... Alice... I... I remember... Mojo... his laser blast sent me into the sea. I _am_ Buttercup."

I smiled a little, glad that she remembered who she was. I looked to my left and saw that the rain storm had come and gone. I stepped away from her and observed the skies before heading towards the Dexbot who had to stand in the awful weather.

"Where are you going?" Buttercup asked when I made it halfway.

I stopped and looked behind me at her.

"I have to enter the Infected Zone and defeat the Fusion that resides inside," I answered.

"What? You can't do that," she said.

"I have to. It's my job," I answered, turning and heading back for the bot. Wait, would they even recognize me?

"I can't let you do this!" Buttercup said, making me stop again.

"I have to," I said to her. "No one else... no one else can."

She stared at me in surprise before blinking.

"So... you're that Alice," she said.

I nodded, not needing to say another word. She slowly nodded herself before standing up tall and sending me a serious look.

"Alright. Good luck then. I normally wouldn't let anyone do this alone, but since I can't remember how to use my powers, you've got to do this by yourself," Buttercup said to me.

I gave her a smile.

"Don't worry. I've done this before," I said, turning and heading back towards the Dexbot.

I took in a deep breath and stepped on the pad, wondering if the bot would recognize me. It did, and I was soon teleported into the Infected Zone.

**

* * *

**

No P.O.V.

A blinking noise was heard on the computer console, making Dexter look at it in shock. He saw that it was from the Dexbot stationed in Marquee Row.

"Alice," he muttered. "Computress! Contact Numbuh One immediately!"

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

It had been tricky to maneuver through the auditorium. The platforms were always moving, and I had to time my jumps correctly in order to not fall on the Fusion Matter below. I headed more towards the bowling and stepped on the Fusion Portal, entering the lair. I held my weapon and shuddered a little in fear. My Nano Megas appeared out of my NanoCom and circled around my head. I smiled at him and gently touched him, my way of thanking him.

_**You will be fine Alice.**_

_Arthena._

She didn't respond, but I felt her comforting aura inside of me. I nodded to myself and walked deeper into the lair with my Nano by my side. I soon came upon Vile Cabinets that spotted me before I could raise my weapon. I was already rusty? I defeated them with my Nano's assistance and continued on. I soon passed by and defeated the Vile Cabinents, putting my Nano away (he had to be tired by now). I came to the clearing and shot at the floating Fusion of Bubbles. I noticed that green started to form under my feet.

_**Move!**_

I obeyed Arthena and moved away from the green spot as fast as I could. However, an eruption sound sounded and it hit me, sending me flying to the side. I skidded to a halt and sat up, looking at where I used to be. What was that?

"Nano DeeDee," I called, hoping her ability would assist.

Nano DeeDee appeared and without needing to be ordered, attacked the Fusion with her _Diva Dynamite_. The Fusion was hit by it, releasing a snarl in pain. I stood back up and continued to shoot at it, though it was able to hit me with one of its goo balls, sending me backwards and back onto the ground. I switched out Nano DeeDee and called on Nano Numbuh Five. She used her _Drop Kick_, harming the Fusion. I raised my weapon again and shot the Fusion from where I sat. Within minutes, with another _Drop Kick_ from Nano Numbuh Five, the Fusion turned into Matter then into Nano Bubbles, who giggled.

"Nice to meet you," she said before heading into the NanoCom with Nano Numbuh Five.

I stayed in my sitting position and sighed, feeling my body relax from the tense state it had been in. That blow had really hurt, but I was fine. I was still living, right? As I sat alone in the lair, knowing I'd need to get up and talk to Buttercup so she wouldn't worry, I felt a sad. I missed my friends. I know I left them to protect them from the Fusion me, but I still missed them. I released a tired sigh and shakily stood to my feet. I headed for the Portal and exited, then headed for the Dexbot and exited the Infected Zone. Just as I finished materializing on the other side, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me. I was scared stiff, wondering if someone was attacking me, but the voice that spoke made me calm down.

"Oh Alice! I'm so glad you're safe!" Mallory said in happiness.

"Alice!" I heard the twins say.

More arms were wrapped around me. I had a hard time looking around, but I was able to see Palmar, Rex, Numbuh One and a monkey standing close, watching the twins and Mallory crushing me. I was also able to see Buttercup walk up to us with a smile on her face.

"You really are powerful. Glad to see you alive," she said to me.

"We were so worried about you Alice! Why did you run on us?" Mallory asked, not realizing I was dying in her grip.

"I thought you were still behind Fuse being the kidnapper?" Rex said from the sidelines.

"That was until Six ruined my idea," Mallory answered.

"Uhm... M-Mallory. Brent. Trent. Can you p-please release me?" I asked kindly.

"Oh great, you're choking her to death. She's probably going to die at your hands," the monkey said.

"Oh hush Bobo," Mallory said, though she and the twins relaxed their grip, allowing me to breathe.

"Ho-how did you find me?" I asked while I was regaining my lost breath.

"When you used the Dexbot, it triggered to Dexter, telling him where you were because only you could use the bot. He called us and we rushed here as quickly as we could," Mallory explained.

"Are you okay?" Palmar asked.

"You fought a Fusion by yourself?" Numbuh One asked, with a small frown.

Did he sound concern?

"Yes, and yes," I answered to both boys.

"Well, I'm glad you're alive," Buttercup said to me.

"Oh my gosh. You're Belladonna of the Ganggreen Gang! You guys are my favorite rock band!" Mallory said.

Everyone was silent, making her look at the boys.

"What? Even stars are allowed to have favorites," she said while crossing her arms.

Buttercup chuckled, "Thanks, but thanks to Alice, I've discovered I'm not really Belladonna."

"Huh?" Brent asked. "Then who are you?"

"My name's Buttercup, of the Powerpuff Girls," she responded.

Everyone's mouths widened.

"B-Buttercup. But you... you went missing nearly two months ago," Trent said.

"About the same time Belladonna was introduced to the band," Buttercup responded.

The eyes widening meant that they had pieced it together. Buttercup stood there with an almost victorious smirk with her knuckles on her hips.

"Well... what are you going to do now?" Palmar asked.

"Until I remember how to use my powers, I'm gonna stay with the band. I enjoy doing this," she said.

"Good luck then," Rex said with a smile.

"Thanks. So, what are you all going to do?" Buttercup asked.

"Mallory, Bobo and myself have to return to Providence and protect it from the Monsters that want to break in," Rex said.

"And I'll be returning to the Rust Bucket," Numbuh One said. "We're still coming up with ways to defeat Fuse and beat the Monsters, and hopefully clean up the Infected Zones."

"And you four?" she asked.

I kept my mouth shut, unsure of what to say. Palmar stepped up.

"We're also heading back to Providence to rest before heading towards the Wild," Palmar said.

"Yeah, Dexter said there was some trouble so we offered to check it out," Trent said.

"That's cool. Well, good luck guys. I'm going to head back to the gang," Buttercup said, giving us a wave as she headed down the sidewalk.

We waved goodbye to her before, as a group, we headed back towards Townsville Park. As we were walking under the gray clouds I felt tears sneak up on me. Why? Why was I crying? I did my best to wipe away the tears, but they kept coming and I released a small sob. I had hoped no one had heard it, but it was.

"Oh Alice, why are you crying?" Mallory asked.

I couldn't answer them straight away because I didn't know the answer. Was it like before, where there could be a number of reasons? Was I tired? Was I upset with myself for leaving my friends? Was I thankful for them still being my friends? Why was I crying?

"Why... why did you come... for me?" I asked through my sobs, my tears making it hard for me to see.

"Because you're our friend Alice," Mallory answered.

"We couldn't let anything happen to you," Palmar added.

"We care about you too much to let you get hurt," Numbuh One said.

A smile appeared on my face. They were really my friends. But I felt so guilty for leaving them.

"Alice, why did you run away?" Brent asked. "You had us scared."

"I... I was afraid my Fusion would come back to kill me,... and I was afraid it'd hurt all of you," I answered through my sobs. "I didn't want any of you to get hurt."

"Oh Alice," Trent released a sigh.

"You're such a thoughtful girl," Mallory said as I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders. "Don't ever do that to any of us again. You had us scared."

The guilt grew but I knew I deserved it.

"I...I'm sorry," I apologized.

I felt a hand on my head, but I didn't look up to see who's hand it belonged to.

"It's alright Alice," Numbuh One said. "Just don't ever do that again. We don't want to lose you."

My sob was stopped midway when I heard him, of all people, say that. I lowered my head and smiled a little more. I was... so happy. I rubbed my tears, thankful that they had stopped and smiled up at my friends. They smiled down at me, happy to see that I was better.

"Thank you," I said as I shakily got to my legs.

Mallory and Rex helped me stand up, saying it was time for me to rest. I didn't argue and allowed them to help me walk towards Providence. I really was tired.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"Dexter, Palmar Whitts has contacted you to inform you that they found Alice and are back at Providence," Computress informed.

Dexter released a sigh of relief as he sat down in the chair. Knowing Alice was safely watched made the stress on his shoulders slack. Only just a little bit.

"And he also informed me that she found Buttercup," Computress said.

Dexter's eyes widened before they returned to normal and he smiled.

"She just might win it for us," he muttered to himself.

"And Dexter," Computress said to catch his attention once more.

"Yes Computress?" Dexter asked, giving her his attention.

"Your guests you asked for have arrived," she informed.

"Thank you Computress. Send them in," he said.

She nodded and did so, and soon, he was greeted by a smiling Ben, a nervous looking Double D, an arrogant Mojo Jojo, and an upset Numbuh One (he had arrived at the Rust Bucket only to discover he had to walk back to City Station). Dexter regarded them as he stood up and placed his hands behind his back, taking on a full business composure.

"Thank you for coming gentlemen," Dexter said. "You are officially Guides for the young fighters in the war."

* * *

**A/N: So, how was it? I kind of liked it, but I want to know what you all thought. Did anyone honestly think she'd get away with running away?**

**Alice has found Buttercup, and Dexter has officially started the Guides. We'll soon be seeing the vehicles appear.**

**Next chapter will be in the Camp Kidney area, including Leaky Lake and Acorn Flats. Expect the Bean Scouts and Squirrel Scouts.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	15. Camp Kidney's in Trouble!

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Glad you liked the last chapter. This chapter will be fun because it has Lazlo in it! (I used to not like the show, but then it grew on me, and now I demand the little monkey to be in the game). Anyways, if you don't pay attention to the bottom notes at the bottom of the chapter, I'm telling you to pay attention for this one. There's going to be an important message.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Fifteen:** Camp Kidney's in Trouble!

* * *

We returned to Providence and rested the rest of the day. It felt good to rest and I felt rejuvenated the next day. In that resting time I explained to my friends everything Arthena told me. They were surprised at first, but soon got over it. Brent even seemed to enjoy it ("Cool! I've got an alien buddy!"). I smiled with relief, glad to know that they wouldn't think any less of me. They were my friends; their opinion of me mattered to me.

Dexter called the next day, informing us something was up with Camp Kidney and the surrounding area and he wanted us to check it out. So we said our goodbyes to Rex, Mallory, Bobo, Six, and Holiday and headed towards City Station. We detoured into City Hall to inform Bubbles (and the Mayor and his assistant Miss Bellum since they were standing there) that her sister was alive. She was overjoyed and thanked us. It made my heart warm to see Bubbles teary smile as she did summersaults of joy in the air. We left there and hopped on the bus from the pad in City Station. The bus took us down to Peach Creek Estates where we hopped off and walked down to the Wilds, stopping momentarily at Foster's Home when Madam Foster brought out her world-famous cookies. Oh they were so delicious! After that detour, we headed back on our path and soon came to the beginning of the Wilds.

Next to space, the Wilds was another of my favorite places (it is easier to come to than to the former). I loved how beautiful and peaceful it was, and was thankful there was no homes to ruin its natural beauty. My mom and I would come out at least once a month to camp out. We always camp out near the waterfall, which is my favorite place. Fuse didn't seem to seem to have caused much damage like he had other places, but I could hear the small sounds of the Monsters in the area. It saddened me to know they were trying to destroy such a beautiful place.

Since yesterday, I had come to accept my job as the only one to stop and defeat Fuse. Did that mean I understand it? No. I mean, isn't there others more powerful than me? But I have come to accept the role whether I like it or not because, and I quote from a character off an old movie my mother absolutely loves, "The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few or one." The Earth's needs beat my need. Sad, but true. I had also learned more about myself and everything that happened from Arthena. She explained that she had gone into a sleep mode in order to avoid Fuse from detecting my presences. It was only when he was in our Milky Way galaxy that he sensed my life. She would continue to sleep to keep from Fuse finding my _exact_ coordinates. She'd wake up if I really need her.

We continued through the Wilds with no trouble; no Monsters felt the need to confront us. We made it to the entrance of Camp Lazlo, only to be met by a shrill, loud yelling that made Brent cover his ears with his hands.

"Was that a banshee?" he questioned.

I recognized that voice. Stepping closer, we were able to hear a calmer voice, and I didn't need to see them to know who the voices belonged to. As we stepped through the archway, our path was blocked by the... er... villain the Tolietnator (between you and me, I honestly don't think he's a bad guy).

"What are _you_ children doing here? Here to face," he stopped for dramatic pause. Wait, was that music following him? "The Tolietnator."

"Nope," Brent said with monotone.

"We're here to face real villains," Palmar said.

Even I found that to be too mean. Tolietnator's shoulders fell as he let out a whine, but he didn't look too crushed. Was he used to this kind of treatment?

"Those stupid Monsters are taking all my opponents away," Tolietnator whined. "None of the kids that come by want to face me."

I could hear Brent mutter under his voice, "They wouldn't want to fight you even if there were no Fusion Monsters." Hoping Tolietnator didn't hear the mean comment (I felt really bad for the guy), I stepped forward.

"Lou, do you know if Scoutmaster Lumpus is here?" I asked kindly.

"Huh? How do you know my real name?" he asked, looking shocked.

Oh right. I don't necessarily look the same.

"It's me, Alice. Alice Spacebyte. You dated my mom two years ago," I said.

"Your mom dated _him_?" Trent asked from behind me.

"Oh! Alice! It's nice to see you!" he took on a friendlier tone.

"You too," I said with a friendly smile. "Can you please answer my question?"

"Hm. I think he's in his office. I remember seeing that annoying girl May walk in there and then she began to screech," Tolientator answered. "Hope that helps."

"That's Lou. I'll see you around," I said, heading for Scoutmaster Lumpus' office.

"Alice, how do you know your way around this place?" Trent asked as we passed by kids standing on the porches of the cabins.

"My mom used to go to medical school with Nurse Leslie and he offers us to come here to visit. We've come to know the Scoutmaster and his assistant well, and I know three Bean Scouts who are my friends," I answered. "There they are."

Sitting on the porch of the Scoutmaster's office was my three friends from Jelly Bean Cabin: Lazlo, Raj, and Clam. They smiled when they saw me and were soon attached to my legs.

"Alice!" Lazlo exclaimed.

"It's so good to see you," Raj said.

"Good. Yeah," Clam said with his smile.

I chuckled a little and patted each of their heads.

"It's nice to see you all too," I said with a smile. "Is the Scoutmaster in?"

"Oh he is," Lazlo answered as my animal friends stepped back.

"But that mean May Kanker is in there too," Raj said with a small scowl and a cross of his arms.

Clam mimicked his friend. "Mean girl."

"Oh you can't be serious," Palmar muttered.

"I'd rather face Fuse than a Kanker!" Brent complained.

"What is she doing all the way up here?" Trent asked.

"Beats us," Lazlo said with a shrug. "But I think Patsy knows."

"Is she around?"

"Yeah. After Acorn Flatts was destroyed, the Squirrel Scouts came over here," Lazlo answered.

"Patsy, Nina, and Gretchen were in our cabin the last I saw them," Raj said, using his trunk to point at their cabin.

I nodded, "Thanks. I'll go see them after I visit the Scoutmaster. You three stay out of trouble."

"Hm. Easier said than done," a voice said, walking past us.

I turned and saw it was Edward. His ever present (very cute too) scowl was on his face.

"Oh, hello Edward," I greeted kindly.

"Yeah yeah. Hi Alice. You here to get rid of those Monsters that's hanging around the camp?" Edward questioned.

"If that's what Scoutmaster Lumpus wants us to do," I said.

"And we're delivery people again," Brent complained, and I heard a whack accompany his complaint.

"Great. Do it fast. They're trying to get to my cabin and it's making me mad," Edward said as he took off walking again.

"Okay. Bye Edward," I said.

"Bye Edward," Lazlo said with a smile and a wave.

Edward grumbled something incoherent to myself and Lazlo.

"As I said, you three stay out of trouble and don't leave this camp, got it?" I said to the Jelly Beans.

They each took on a serious face and saluted me. "Yes ma'am."

I chuckled and motioned with my hand for my teammates to follow me into the office. I opened the door, and May's shrill yell exited the two-story building.

"I WANT MY ED!"

"He's not here!" a frightened voice said. "Slinkman. Why isn't she gone yet?"

"I'm trying sir," a calmer yet panicked voice said.

We entered the scene to find Lumpus cowering under his desk, Slinkman (I felt really bad for him because he puts up with a lot of stuff from Lumpus) trying to calm down a very upset May who was holding a book in her arms.

"Should we even ask?" Brent dryly commented.

All eyes were on us.

"Who are you?" May demanded with an accusing glare.

"I'm Alice. May, why aren't you with your sisters?" I asked.

"Oh. It's you." The Kankers and I never really got on the right foot because they hated me. I don't know why, but they do. "I came here because I followed Ed."

"He's out here?" I asked, then whispering to myself, "I should tell Double-D and Eddy."

"Yes he is. And I'm not returning to Peach Creek Commons without my Ed!" May said.

"You're psychotic, has that been established yet?" Brent asked.

"I'M NOT PSYCHOTIC!" May screeched.

"Way to go little bro," Trent muttered.

"May, what's in your arms?" Palmar asked.

"Hm? Oh this? I don't know really. But I like it, and it's mine," May said, clutching it closer to her chest.

The cover read _Book of Prophecy._ Book of Prophecy? Goosebumps ran up and down my body, making me shudder a little. That book was important. I can feel it.

"Yeah. Some girl from Pimpleback Mountain keeps trying to take it from me," May continued.

"A girl?" Brent asked.

"Down boy," Trent said.

"Yeah, she's got red hair, has weird pink orbs around her hands," May described.

"Gwen Tennyson? Why's she all the way out here?" Palmar asked.

"Should we see her?" I whispered to him. "That book seems important."

"Alright. We'll head over," Palmar said.

"Take her with you!" Lumpus shouted from his desk.

"I'm sorry Scoutmaster Lumpus, but we can't. But I promise to come back and take care of the Monsters surrounding the camp."

"Thank you Alice," Slinkman said to me. "We'll take care of her if you take care of them."

"I promise we will," I said with a smile before following my friends out the door.

We headed down the path but stopped off at the Jelly Bean cabin. I entered and smiled to see my three Squirrel Scout friends. My friends from behind me were probably surprised to see a giraffe, an alligator, and a mongoose. I ignored their surprised looks and just smiled at the girls.

"Hi girls," I greeted with a wave.

"Hi Alice," the three girls chimed.

"Say Alice, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be saving the world?" Nina asked.

"We are," Brent said from behind me. "We're here to defeat the Monsters surrounding this camp."

"Wish we had you four at Acorn Flatts," Gretchen commented.

"It was completely destroyed by those overgrown frogs," Patsy added.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I felt really bad for not protecting the camp.

Patsy waved it off with a smile.

"It's not your fault. Anyways, be careful out there," she said with a smile. "Oh, and if you see Lazlo, tell him not to stray too far from the camp again. He almost got killed until we came to get him."

My insides froze in fear from what Patsy said, but I kept my composure up and nodded.

"Will do. Be careful," I said as I exited the cabin.

"Same to you," the three friends said in unison.

We left the cabin and soon the camp, heading down the path. We took out as many of the Monsters surrounding the camp as we could before I noticed an Infected Zone, and my heart dropped a little. Leaky Lake had become an Infected Zone.

_The campers must have been upset,_ I thought sadly to myself.

The campers from both camps loved Leaky Lake, so this was probably very devastating to them. We walked past the Infected Zone and into Acorn Flatts. We continued through the once-camp (I had to keep my eyes on the road or else I feared I'd break down), killing a few of the Monsters in the area before entering the Pimpleback Mountain range. I looked around and noticed something was strange.

"Alice, why'd you stop?" Brent asked.

"I don't remember the sky looking so, dark," I answered.

Wasn't it bright? The sky wasn't the blue I remember it... It's now a grayish-purple color. There was a light fog, making it look like an eerily scary place. Was it because of Haunted Ridge?

"Yeah, that's weird," Brent said as he looked around.

"May be an outcome from the war," Trent said.

"We can sky gaze, later. May's an unstable, psychotic girl. We need to get that book out of her hands, especially if Gwen wanted it out of her hands," Palmar said. "Alice, you know this area better than we do, lead the way."

I nodded and walked down the path I knew would take us to the small village at the bottom of Pimpleback Mountain. We entered the villiage and looked around.

"Plumbers are here," Palmar commented.

"How can you tell?" I asked. I decided not to ask what a Plumber is.

"Over there, see them in the weird outfits? Those are Plumbers, an organization that helps to fight aliens," he said. He looked at me and amended, "Bad aliens."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Brent asked.

"When Alice was resting, I heard Max and Dexter talking about them so I made them explain it to me," Palmar answered.

"Nice. So, where's Gwen?" Brent asked as he looked around.

"Did someone say my name?"

A teen girl with red hair in a high ponytail floated towards us. My eyes widened; that feeling came again. Was she an alien? She landed in front of us and smiled.

"Hi. My name's Gwen. Can I ask what you four are doing here?" she asked.

We introduced ourselves and explained to her about May and the book.

"It... I felt like it was powerful and important," I said.

Gwen nodded.

"I know. I felt the same thing when I was near it. But May won't let me have it. I have the feeling it can help us in this war," Gwen said.

"Do we know how?"

"Mm... I talked to Ed over at the Kids Next Doors' Jungle Outpost in Mount Blackhead but he wouldn't go for it. He doesn't like May, and he may be the only one to get her to hand over the book. I intercepted her from delivering a love potion to him," Gwen explained.

"Maybe I can talk to Ed?" I suggested.

"I've tried, but at this point, anything will do," Gwen said.

"Can we rest our feet a bit? We've been walking for a long time," Brent said.

"Are you serious?" Trent questioned his brother as they got into a squabble.

"Do they do that a lot?" Gwen asked, clearly surprised.

"Sometimes, but not a lot," I answered.

"Enough you two," Palmar ordered. "We'll take a small break. Alright?"

The twins nodded, Trent still sending Brent a glare. I smiled lightly before feeling my shoulder being tapped lightly. I looked to see Gwen motion with her head towards a cabin. Curious, I followed her and we both sat down on the porch of a cabin near the entrance.

"How are you doing?" she asked in a gentle voice, like a mother to a daughter.

"Huh?" I asked, not understanding the meaning behind the question.

"About your role in the war. How are you holding up?" she asked.

I barely knew her, yet she was asking me like I was her best friend. I didn't voice my observation, and merely answered.

"I've... accepted my role and am willing to do what I must to save this world," I answered.

Gwen nodded.

"I was shocked to hear it from Ben," she said, not looking at me. "I would have thought for sure we three would have to be the one's to save the Earth again from this alien foe, so I was shocked to hear that a suburb girl was the only one to save us." She smiled at me. "No offense."

"None taken," I said with a kind smile. How could I take offense? That's what I've been telling myself for the longest time.

She smiled more, probably happy to know that my feelings weren't hurt and continued, "Then I began to hear all about what you've done. The fact that you've defeated Fusions, saved Blossom, and even found Buttercup was amazing. And I can even feel it now. I can see your energy force coming off you."

"You... you can?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yea. Your alien energy power is incredible. But, I couldn't detect it till I got close enough."

_Arthena's hiding it,_ I answered in my head. I just gave Gwen a meek smile before sensing someone in front of me. I looked and found Palmar holding out an apple. I blinked and took it with a thank you. He just nodded.

"You hadn't eaten in a while, so I thought an apple would help. We gotta make sure you won't faint on us," Palmar said.

My eyelids lowered as I stared at my apple. I've come to accept my role as a fighter, that didn't mean I like all this attention. I'm still no one special, just a girl who is to defeat Fuse.

**Yes. But you're very powerful. May even be... useful to me.**

My eyes widened and I dropped my apple in fear. Who was this new voice? Why... why did it make my insides turn cold? It was scarier than Him! It wasn't Arthena either. The voice... it was so cold and dark. I closed my eyes and whimpered a little, but soon felt a soothing light warm my insides.

_**It is alright Alice, I've gotten rid of the voice.**_

_Thank you Arthena. Who was it?_

_**I do not know, but I do intend to find out.**_

"Alice? Alice?"

I snapped my eyes open and release a quick breath as I looked up after feeling a hand on my shoulder. Both Gwen and Palmar were looking at me in concern and worry. I steadied my breathing before looking at my fallen food. I was sad to see it on the dirty ground.

"Oh, I dropped it," I said in a saddened tone.

"Alice?" Palmar said, getting my attention. "What happened? You zoned out and your body was shaking. You wouldn't respond."

I clutched my arms and lowered my head, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"I... I heard a voice in my head," I answered, closing my eyes and placing my hands on the side of my hand as the voice's haunting words echoed in my mind. I was afraid of Father. I was terrified of Him. There were no words to describe my fear of the voice.

I suddenly felt myself enveloped in a hug. I opened my eyes and found Gwen hugging me, looking at me in concern and -I think- sympathy.

"Was it... was it Fuse?" Gwen asked.

I thought about it before I shook my head. I don't think it's Fuse - Fuse wanted me dead. This voice wanted to use me. Gwen looked frightened for a moment before replacing it with an almost comforting look. Nothing was said as she still held me in a hug. Palmar had gone off to grab the boys and get another food for me after I refused his.

"I... I'm scared," I suddenly found myself admitting.

"Of the voice?" she asked.

I nodded before continuing, "Of that and everything. I now have powers, but I'm afraid that I'll have no control and hurt people. It scares me."

"That used to be my fear," Gwen said in a warm voice.

"Are you... I don't mean to sound rude, but are you an alien too? I can feel it," I blurted out.

She smiled at me. "Well, not exactly. I mean, I have powers like an alien, and my grandmother was one, but I'm a born human. I guess I'm a human alien. I used to think my powers came from magic, not my alien heritage. I used to be afraid of using my powers to their extent, but I've learned to control them."

"How?" I asked, almost begging.

"As long as you don't freak out, and you have a strong will, you'll be fine," Gwen said. "Also, keep a level head. Sometimes, fear can make you lose your control."

I nodded, soaking in her words.

_**And I will be here to assist you. I will teach you to use them correctly and wisely.**_

"Thank you," I said to the both of them.

Gwen smiled, "No problem."

"How did you know I found Buttercup?"

"Dexter couldn't stop talking about it. He sent it out in a notice to all the heroes," Gwen answered.

I just smiled. The boys returned, and we were about to walk out when Gwen stopped us.

"Why don't you guys use the new Monkey Skyway?" she suggested. "It'll get you to the Jungle Outpost much quicker than walking."

"Monkey Skyway?" Trent questioned.

"Mojo Jojo's minions. They're helping us in the war by traveling fighters via the air," Gwen said.

"Let's take it! I don't want to walk if I can help it. Too much exercise," Brent said.

"You need it," Trent said, earning a glare from his brother.

"They're on top of the mountain over there," Gwen said, pointing us in the direction.

We thanked her and headed up the known trail and to where Gwen said the monkeys were. We found them, sitting around in a purple suit and I think jetpacks on the back. Pigs may not fly, but I guess monkeys can.

"What do ya kids want?" one asked gruffly.

"Uhm... we heard you travel?" I asked.

"Yeah? So?" he asked.

I bit my bottom lip and looked to Palmar. He nodded and stepped forward.

"We four need to get to the Jungle Outpost. You know, in Mount Blackhead," Palmar said.

"Yeah yeah. We know the place, bub. So. Just yous four?" the monkey asked.

Palmar nodded.

"Alright. But we ain't cheap. It'll cost ya," the same monkey said.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Brent groaned.

"How much?" Palmar asked.

"We usually charge per person, but since you've got such a pretty little lady with yas, we'll do a deal. Four for the price of one," the monkey informed.

I blushed and hid behind Trent. I felt someone practically tackle me from behind and heard a chuckle. I looked and found a grinning Brent.

"I knew your girly charms would assist us at some point," Brent said.

I think my face was glowing because I'm pretty sure I was as red as a tomato. Trent came to my defense and whacked his brother off. Palmar handed over some Taros to the monkey, and we found ourselves flying in the air only being held by our wrists. We passed over Acorn Flatts and Leaky Lake and into the Outpost where we were dropped off. I thanked them then quickly followed my group.

"So where's Ed?" Brent asked.

"Oi! Did somebody say something about an Ed?" a familiar Australian voice asked.

Turning I smiled when I saw Numbuh Four walk up to us. I didn't know if we were on friendlier terms, but I still smiled kindly at him.

"Hi Numbuh Four," I greeted.

"Eh? Your voice sounds familiar. 'Ave we met before?" he asked, looking at me perplexed.

I nodded, "It's me. Alice."

His eyes widened before he himself smile. That's good - we are on good sides.

"Oh! Hey Alice. Good ta see ya," he said, patting me on my arm. I then saw his eyes narrow as he looked at the three boys. "And who are these blokes?"

I was surprised because I remember a similar scene with Dexter back in the Cul-de-Sac, but I quickly explained to him everything. He seemed to lighten up a little as he nodded in understanding.

"So, you were talking about Ed?" Numbuh Four questioned.

"Yes. We need to try and talk him into going out with May long enough for us to grab the book," Palmar answered.

"That'll be tough. A girl already tried and failed," Numbuh Four informed.

"Yeah we heard," Brent said. "But we'll still try. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Ney! King Ed willth not doith this!"

Nothing changed. Ed, going by King Ed, was refusing to assist us. He crossed his arms and had his back to us as he responded to our plea.

"Please E-er King Ed?" I pleaded, trying to appeal to his good side. "Can't you please assist us?"

"Neyith Alice!" he replied. "But, if thous are willing to helpith, I shall thinkith over your suggestion."

"Anything to make him stop talking terrible Middle-Age English," Brent all but begged.

"Takeith care of the Terropins and retrieveith my jawbreaker," Ed instructed.

"Anything to make you shut up!" Brent said, grabbing Palmar's and my own arms. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"Brent! Quit pulling us!" Palmar ordered.

I was trying to keep up with Brent, but found it hard and I tripped over my own feet, almost falling to the ground if it wasn't for Trent who grabbed my other arm and kept me up. I smiled thankfully at him and once again tried to keep up. Brent only released our arms when we were out of the Outpost.

"Finally! I couldn't take anymore of his talking!" Brent complained in frustration.

"Yeah? But did you have to drag Palmar and Alice? You almost made her trip," Trent said.

"Sorry about that Alice," he apologized. "So, where are the Terropins?"

"I remember seeing a pack in Acorn Flatts," Palmar said.

"Does that mean we have to walk there?" Brent asked in an exasperated sigh.

"Stop complaining and let's go," Trent said.

We made our way back to Acorn Flatts and encountered the Terropins. After shooting at some of them, one of the Monster's dropped the jawbreaker.

"Ugh! That is disgusting!" Brent complained.

"Coming from the boy who picked up Billy's underwear," Trent said dryly.

"I blame you for the nightmares," Brent said.

My NanoCom beeped to life and I answered it. I was surprised to see it was Ed, but guessing from the complaints in the background, he must have stolen it from Numbuh Four.

"We have the jawbreaker," I said to him.

"King Ed doesn'tith need it anymore," Ed said. "Keep it as a token for helping out my kingdom."

He ended the conversation before he could hear Brent have a fit. But wait! We have... I looked through my contacts and brought up Gwen, hoping she would answer. She soon appeared, smiling.

"Hi Alice. Everything work with Ed?" she asked.

"Not really. But... I do have a plan," I answered.

"Oh?"

I smiled a little, somewhat happy with myself for coming up with a plan.

"We have his jawbreaker, and we plan to come up with a story to May saying that Ed gave her this jawbreaker as an apology for not being able to see her," I explained. "I'll think of something better, but that's the plan."

I could feel four pairs of surprised expressions looking at me before Gwen broke out into a smile.

"Brilliant! That just might get us the book," Gwen said. "Once you have it, return to me."

I nodded and after saying our goodbyes, ended the conversation. We quickly headed back to the camp, hearing May yelling.

"May?" I asked.

"What!" she screeched at me.

"He-here," I said, holding out the jawbreaker. "It's from Ed. He apologizes for not being able to give it to you in person, but he hopes you will accept it."

"It's... It's Ed's jawbreaker?" she asked.

I nodded, and she squealed. She grabbed the jawbreaker and roughly shoved the book in my arms.

"Here! You can have it. Now that I have this, I won't need that stupid thing again," she said, holding her cherished item.

I smiled a little and placed the book in my bag. We suddenly heard screams from outside, making us open the door and look outside. Campers were running around wildly, trying to get away from the Pack Arachnids, Wild Stingers, and Crazy Metal Boy Scouts chasing them. My eyes were wide with fear.

"No," I whispered, calling my weapon to hand and running into the fray. I had to protect them. I had to.

I could hear my friends follow, calling for me, but I couldn't stop. I had to protect my friends! I can't remember what happened for most of the fight because I was in a frantic panic and was shooting at any Monster near a camper. I took a breath to look around and see if there were anymore Monster's when I heard Patsy's voice.

"Get away from Lazlo!"

My eyes widened as I looked to see Lazlo on the ground, bleeding. Raj and Clam were by his side, and Patsy was standing in front of him, ready to defend her crush against a tall and scarily strong Crazy Metal Boy Scout (I later learned it was a Crazy Metal Troop Leader). Fear crept into me as I shook my head.

_Arthena! I need you!_

Before she could respond, three cries of pain made me look up. Patsy, Clam, and Raj laid by Lazlo, looking hurt as the Monster continued to come towards them. My eyes widened and I began to fear I would lose them. I shook my head.

_No. No! I can't lose my friends!_

"Leave them alone!" I cried.

I don't know how I did it, but I still remember it all. My vision was slightly clouded by tears, but I had the Fusion Monster in my sight. My hands came together as I made an orb of energy and then threw the orb at the Monster. The energy ball hit the Monster, destroying it where it stood. I breathed heavily before falling to my knees.

**Amazing.**

I choked up in fear, but as soon as the voice came, it was gone. A hand touched my back, making me jump and turn my head. Trent was looking down at me in concern and bent down, his arms around my shoulders.

"It's alright Alice. We beat the Monsters," he said to me in a comforting voice. "Palmar and Brent are taking your friends to be checked on. They'll be alright."

My breathing was still uneven, and I tried to steady it as I went over everything that had just happened. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, my body shaking for some reason. He still held me, comforting me.

"What... what did I do?" I asked.

"You saved your friends, Alice," he told me. "With your... I think your powers."

"Did I... Did I...?" I couldn't formulate a complete sentence, but Trent seemed to have caught on.

"You only hurt the Monster. No one else," he said. "C'mon. Let's go see the nurse."

I let him help me up and guided me (well, I really guided him) to the health cabin. We stepped in and I immediately looked at the campers. Nurse Leslie was moving between the four beds, observing each of the injuries. It was nearly a half an hour before we learned that they weren't seriously injured.

"I'd say a week's recovery will do them some good," Nurse Leslie suggested. "Alice, I want to check out you."

"H-huh? W-why?" I asked.

"You're trembling and you look paler than a ghost," Nurse Leslie said with a look of concern.

"I-I'm okay. Just shaken up. I was... frightened. I'm alright now," I said, trying to convince them. I moved out of Trent's holding and did my best to smile. "Be-besides. We have to deliver a book. Please... please take care of them."

The camp's nurse nodded, looking a little concerned, but we left before he could stop me. We walked towards Pimpleback Mountain in silence; I was holding my arms the whole time.

_Ar-Arthena?_ I asked.

_**I know Alice.**_ I felt a warm feeling in my body and it made me smile a little in relief. My fears were taken away for a small while. We entered the small village that was at the base of Pimpleback Mountain. Gwen smiled, glad to see us and safe (though I noted worry in her eyes, no doubt from my pale skin).

"Thank you for getting the book to me. I'll study it, and hopefully, discover its importance," Gwen said to us.

"Call us when you do," Palmar said.

Gwen nodded and we took out leave, deciding to head back to the Outpost since it was a safe place to stay.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Gwen watched the heroes leave before a puff of black smoke appeared beside her. Standing with his scythe in hand was the Grim Reaper, who looked a little exasperated.

"What is it child?" he asked. "I need to return to Orchid Bay or else Alexis will chew me out."

"I'll make it quick. Do you have the Scrying Lens?" she asked.

"What do you want tat for?" he asked.

"It's important. I need it to read this book," Gwen said.

Grim sighed and rummaged through his robe, "If it's tat important, here you are." He handed the item to her. "When you're done, I want it back."

"I promise to give it to you. Thank you," she said, surprisingly not afraid of talking to death.

Death nodded and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Gwen looked down at the book, reading the title.

_Book of Prophecy... Hm..._ she thought, heading into the cabin to begin her reading.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"My lord?"

Lord Fuse looked up from his seated throne to look down at the Fusion form of his enemy - Alice. The Fusion girl had her head bowed, something that had made him like her. She showed respect, placing herself down under her master.

"What is it, my dear?" he asked.

"Did you feel it, master? Her energy?" she asked.

"Yes," he released in a growl. "But it disappeared before I could pin point."

"When you have found her my lord, would you like me to find her and end her?" she asked.

_Tempting,_ he thought to himself, but he shook his head. "She is mine to kill. You are more valuable here, in the safety of my planet."

She bowed her head, "As you wish my lord."

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

We stepped out of the limits of Pimpleback Mountain and into Acorn Flatts (Brent complained about not taking the monkeys, but Palmar was dead set to not take them) when my NanoCom beeped. I took the device and found Numbuh Four staring at me.

"Hello," I greeted.

"No time for hellos Alice. Some Wild Cogfish have gone nuts! I need you to dispose of at least nine of them," he said.

I nodded and placed the NanoCom on my waist. We quickly made our way back fear Leaky Lake where we found the Wild Cogfish. Once we defeated the nine, we called Numbuh Four.

"We got rid of them," I informed him.

"Thanks for the assist, Alice! The Monsters in this area are being controlled by a crazed Fusion in a kilt! If you could track him down, you'd save us all a heap of trouble He's at the Leaky Lake Infected Zone," Numbuh Four said.

"A Monster in a kilt, eh? Could thin'n be our boy?" the Scotsman asked, suddenly appearing on my screen. "Quick, lass, you and the lads need to stop this Fusion replica of me!"

As a group we nodded and ran to the Dexbot that wasn't too far away. We entered and began to maneuver our way through the Infected Zone in search of the portal. It didn't take too long to find it and enter into the lair that belonged to the Fusion Scotsman. Inside the lair were Wild Cogfishes that were taken out by us as we made our way to the Fusion of the lair.

"Alright everyone, you know the plan, defeat the Fusion before it can touch us," Palmar instructed. "And try not to get hurt."

We nodded and stepped into the clearing, seeing the Fusion Scotsman. We took aim and shot at him. He turned and swung his sword at us. We were dodging, momentarily having to stop our shooting. I was able to dodge them with my new agility. The Fusion wasn't aiming for me though. He was aiming for my three friends who had been separated from me. Fear crept into my heart again as I saw my friends fall to the ground, about to be attacked again. No! I not my friends! I placed a hand up, but instead of sending an energy blast, I saw the sword swing down then stop mid-air, like it hit something. My eyes were able to see a force-field protecting them.

"I'm your enemy. Not them!" I said to the Fusion.

The Fusion snarled and lunged at me, nearly scraping me with the tip of his sword. I jumped back, but overestimated myself and hit the side of the wall. I fell to my knees and gritted my teeth in pain and stood back up again, placing my hands on the wall to help me stand, then looked up at the Fusion. It was standing in front of me, the tip of his sword pointed at my neck. I could hear my friend's calling my name, but I blocked it out. The Fusion pulled back its sword, but was stopped when I held up a hand and sent an energy blast at it. The Fusion flew back, hitting the wall then turning into Fusion Matter. The Matter swirled into a Nano... a Nano of what looked like a demon.

"Nano Demongo, at your service," the Nano said before disappearing into my NanoCom.

I smiled a little before taking down the force-field I know I placed up. The boys ran over to me, looking at me in shock. They looked like they wanted to say something, but decided against it. Palmar just cleared his throat and said,

"Let's get out of here."

We exited the Portal, then exited the Infected Zone. Once we were out of the Infected Zone, I felt my body sag a little as I felt tired. Really tired. Palmar noticed and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, not startled, just very sleepy. I think they were a little worried by my sluggish actions.

"Alice, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm tired," I replied with half-open eyelids and a sleepy voice. I've never felt this tired before. Wonder what was up.

"Alright. Let's get you back to the Outpost so you can rest," he said. "Can you stay awake till we get there?"

"I'll try," I answered.

I felt the hand move from my shoulder until it was wrapped around my other shoulder. I then felt my head fall and land on, what I guessed, to be his shoulder. If I wasn't so tired, I would have been blushing in embarrassment, but I was too tired to care at the moment. The rest was a blur to me. I remember arriving at the Outpost, and I remember hearing some voices, all four I could identify: Numbuh's Three and Four and Mac and Coco. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but I felt myself being moved and lain down in the bed. I heard voices mumbling, but I couldn't focus. I was tired. So tired...

**Yes. Sleep young one.**

_Arthena?_

_**I'm here Alice. Do not worry. I won't allow this voice to hurt you.**_

_Thank you._

_**Now rest. You've used your powers and they've drained you of energy. Sleep so you can regain it.**_

Oh, so that's what happened. I barely formed another sentence as I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness of sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Ah! Finish! Longest yet! How do you all like it? Before you ask, no, no **Trent/Alice**. I chose him because he was a better comforter than the other two. Also, who do you think the voice belongs to? I liked playing with her powers; always fun. Because the skyway monkey has a gruff voice, all I could think about was **Wolverine**, so that's why he is like the X-Men mutant. **

**Okay, here's the important information: Like many shows that stop midway through their season, I am doing the same. I am taking a small break from the story to work on some of my other work that was neglected. I'll be working on chapters, but I will mainly focus on the other chapters. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this story (I've already got a part written for the second to last chapter). Just a small break.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	16. A Park and Crystals

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. I'm back from my hiatus. Didn't rest. Didn't rest. Still, I'm happy to come back and continue with the story. So, let's continue.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Sixteen:** A Park and Crystals

* * *

The world spun when I tried to open my eyes, so I closed them again and waited for my head to stop spinning. After breathing in deeply, I reopened my eyes -_slowly_ this time- and stared around the house. Where was I? I blinked and slowly eased myself up into a sitting position. The house was still unfamiliar to me, and my head was fuzzy. I carefully placed my feet on the ground, slid off the blankets and headed for the door slowly. My feet were wobbly and the world was trying to spin again. Why did I feel so drained? I opened my door and blinked, suddenly recognizing that I was at the Outpost. Suddenly, my ears picked up on two voices. They sounded familiar, but my mind was still hazy and was barely registering. Still, I felt compelled to go to the voices and my legs guided me there.

The voices were muffled at first, but I was soon able to identify that they were heated. They sounded angry... and familiar. Frowning slightly, I continued till the voices grew louder, and more voices accompanied them, more soothing with some urgency. All the noises just caused my head to hurt, but I continued on wobbly legs towards the voices. They were getting louder, and closer. Finally, my eyes adjusted and I was able to my friends. I was at first happy to see them, but I then grew worried when I saw that Numbuh Four and Palmar were nearly at each other's throats. Numbuh Three, Mac, and Coco were holding Numbuh Four back while Trent, Brent, and Ed held Palmar back. I stepped closer and clasped my hands together in fear. The voices were louder now, and I could hear them better.

"-So far under your care, she's been nearly killed on multiple occasions, had a Fusion clone of her, and now she's in a near a coma over there!" Numbuh Four shouted.

"We take _good _care of her!" Palmar shouted back. "We do a better job than all of you combined!"

"Oh! Is that so?" Numbuh Four shouted.

"Yeah!" Palmar shouted. "At least we care for her and don't want her fighting unless she has to! All of you only refer to her as a secret weapon used when you need her! You only call when one of you needs something from her. When was the last time you called her while away that didn't involve needing her to do a mission for you."

Numbuh Four snarled and raised his fist, which was quickly grabbed at my Numbuh Three who looked scared. I saw Trent's mouth move, but whatever he was saying didn't have an effect on Palmar, who was still fighting to get out of the grip. Ed was trying to be heard in his bad Medieval English, but he was relatively ignored. I stepped closer, yet no one seemed to have noticed me.

"You have _no_ right to say that!" Numbuh Four shouted. "I _do_ care for her. Everyone who she's ever _met_ does so I don't need to hear from a _teen_ about how he _assumes_ I don't care for her!"

Palmar looked ready to argue his point, but Numbuh Three stopped him.

"Alice!" the Asian operative gasped, releasing her hold on Numbuh Four's wrist and running up to me.

She wrapped her arms around me. The arguers ended then argument and looked at me; all of them did. My eyelids lowered in half as I felt my body call it quits. My knees buckled and I was thankful for the death grip on me as I leaned into Numbuh Three, who was probably shocked. I felt more arms on me, trying to straighten me up. My legs retaliated and made it known that they were _not_ going to comply with the other's wishes.

"Are you okay Alice?" Mac asked.

I nodded into Numbuh Three's shoulder and faintly heard Coco snapping at someone, though I didn't know who.

"We should get her back inside. She still looks pale," Trent advised.

"Me thinkest-"

"No! No talking!" Brent said, obviously rounding on Ed.

"C'mon Alice. We need to get you back into bed," Mac said.

"How... how long have I been out?" I asked, feeling myself being 'walked' (more like dragged in my state) back to the house I had occupied before.

"Er... nearly 17 hours," Trent answered. "Are you feeling sleepy?"

"No," I answered. "My body's just tired."

"Don't worry. We'll have you lying down in no time!" Numbuh Three said.

I smiled up at the cheery girl in thanks. I soon found myself sitting up-right against the headboard. I blinked a few times and adjusted to everything. I looked around the house in a daze. Trent placed a hand on my forehead then removed it.

"Well at least you don't have a fever," Trent said.

"Just tired is all," I muttered with a slow blink. I noticed three people were missing from the room. "Where's Coco, and Numbuh Four, and Palmar?"

"Outside," Mac answered. "Coco's lecturing them."

"Oh..." I muttered, feeling a little ashamed.

"Hey, don't blame yourself," Brent said.

I stared up at him in shock, wondering how he was able to figure that out. Was I that readable? Hm... Probably. Brent placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. He smiled at me, and I smiled a little, finding it too contagious to frown at. The door opened and Coco stepped in, smiling at me as Numbuh Four and Palmar stepped in, still tense but no longer angry.

"You feeling better?" Numbuh Four asked.

"A little. Not dizzy anymore," I answered.

"Are you hungry?" Palmar asked.

Whether Numbuh Three took that as a hint or not, she ran out of the house. Few minutes later, she returned with a tray with a plate of cinnamon buns on the tray and the glasses of milk. Breakfast was dispersed, and after eating the sweet treat, I felt less hungry. It definitely helped.

Just as I finished my morning meal, my NanoCom buzzed on the nightstand beside me. I reached out, grabbed it, and stared at Numbuh One who was on the screen.

"Morning Numbuh One," I greeted.

"Morning Alice," he greeted back. "I hope I did not wake you?"

I shook my head, "No no. I was already awake."

"That's good," Numbuh One said with a curt nod. "I am calling you because I need you and your team to come to Townsville Park. The Monsters have been acting up, and I need you to check the Fissure. I believe a Fusion is behind this."

I nodded with a somewhat serious face. My NanoCom was suddenly stolen from my hands.

"Alice needs more rest," Palmar said into the stolen Com. "She's unwell."

I frowned and shook my head.

"I feel fine. We have to defeat the Fusion."

"No. You're not fine and need more rest. You can't push yourself to breaking point and then some," Palmar scolded.

Something in me snapped. I don't know why, but I was suddenly frowning in anger.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I lashed out.

The room fell silent in shock and I blushed in shame. I lowered my head while muttering an apology, then stepped out of the bed. I grabbed my NanoCom from Palmar (barely making eye contact with him), ended contact with Numbuh One, and left the small house.

What was I thinking? More importantly, what compelled me to lash out like that?

Palmar is sending me mixed signals. Not too long ago (a few days ago actually), he told me that fighting Fusions were important. Now he's hesitant, not wanting me to do what I have come to accept? And they say girls are complicated.

Sitting on the fence, I felt a presence sit next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I didn't look at the person directly, but I could see out of my peripheral vision that it was Palmar. He wasn't looking at me, rather the ground, but he was sitting awfully close.

"I'm going to go to Townsville Park," I said in a controlled voice after a few seconds of silence.

"I know. We're going with you," Palmar answered, still not looking at me.

I felt a small smile try to weasel its way to my face at hearing this. So we were still a team.

"I'm sorry," I apologized after a few more seconds of silence. "I didn't mean to snap. I don't... I don't know what came over me."

"I do," Palmar said gently. I looked up at him and he smiled understandingly at me. "You're a passive girl, but even pacifists get upset. It wanted release, and your stress and tiredness helped guide it to your mouth."

"...Maybe," I responded.

"It's okay. Really," he said, patting me on my shoulder. "We should get the boys and get going."

I smiled and nodded. He got up and got them, the four of us saying goodbyes and heading towards the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. (the Kids Next Door employed the aircrafts to help the war effort). The operative on duty kindly took us to City Station; the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s, like Mojo's monkeys, were assigned different posts that they could enroute to. From there, we decided to walk, successfully dodging any Monster attacks (there seemed to be few). We headed for the Rust Bucket, greeted by a smiling Max, a kind looking Scotsman, and a serious-looking Numbuh One.

"It's good to see you again Alice," Max greeted.

"Same to you sir," I said back with a smile.

"We need you to go to the Fissure. My laptop was stolen, and I suspect it was taken there," Max said.

"Was anything important on there?" Trent asked.

"Yes," Max responded. "All our plans on attacking Fuse and his planet directly."

A tense silence fell over us as we realized the severity of the situation. If we didn't get that laptop back, Fuse would know all the plans and could counter-attack. Nodding, we four headed off immediately, Max promising to contact us to give us more information. We entered the Infected Zone and headed down the zipline to the first platform. On it was a box, which we opened.

"It's Max's laptop," Brent commented, holding up the technology.

"Max?" I asked over the NanoCom.

"You found my laptop?" Max asked.

Brent placed the laptop in the view of the NanoCom. Pulling back, I could see the relief in Max's smile.

"Great job. Take care of that Fusion, and return back to me," Max said, then signing off.

"You heard the man. Off to kick Fusion butt!" Brent said with a smirk.

"And I think I see the Portal from here," Trent remarked, nodding his head in the direction of the activated tentacles.

We four hopped off the platform and ran to the Portal with our weapons in hand, entering the lair. We were immediately met with Shady Streetlights. We took them down easily, and made our way through the earthy, underground lair. All lairs began to look the same, so I was able to tell when we were getting to the Fusion.

"Ready?" Palmar asked.

"Dude, do you even have to ask?" Brent said.

Palmar ignored his question and merely nodded in the direction of the Fusion. Without needing to say a word, we attacked. The Fusion was caught off guard, but wasn't going down without a fight. The green stuff began to grow under us.

"Move!" I ordered, remembering what happened when Fusion Bubbles used that same attack against me.

The boys, not needing to question me, moved away from the green spot, which erupted with a green light. That didn't distract us from the Fusion and we went at him again, getting closer to him as he tried to punch us. After a few more hits to his body, Fusion Max finally morphed into a Nano Four Arms.

"This is the third Fusion to give off a different Nano," Brent said.

"That's strange. Does Dexter know?" Trent questioned.

"No, by I should tell him," I said with a nod.

"And about whatever that attack was," Palmar added.

I nodded, and heard my NanoCom beep. I grabbed it and touched the screen, activating it.

"Alice, are you four alright?" Max asked. "I got worried when you didn't call."

"Don't worry," I said with a smile, hoping to calm his nerve. "We're fine. We're on our way back now."

"And your laptop's safe and unharmed," Trent commented.

"That's good to hear," Max said, though I was unsure (though I had a good idea) about what he was happy to hear. "Come back immediately."

"We're on our way," Palmar said.

Max nodded and ended the conversation. We exited the Fusion lair and then the Infected Zone, and headed back to the make-shift base. Max greeted us with a smile, and Trent returned his laptop to him.

"Thanks for getting it for me," Max said, placing the rescued laptop on the planning table. "If this had gotten into Fuse's hands, we'd be in big trouble."

"Can we see what's on their?" Brent asked.

"Sorry, but it's confidential lad," Scotsman said.

Brent huffed and crossed his arms, nodding. I glanced very quickly (something told me to look, but don't ask me what it was) at the screen and nearly gasped. A folder with my name on it was on the desktop. I would have called him out on it, but decided not to. Whatever was in there... it didn't matter to me at this point.

"Dexter called," Numbuh One said, catching my attention. "He wanted you four to head over to Dexlabs; wants to check up on you."

"What? Can't do video calls like everyone else?" Brent asked.

I looked over at him in a bit of shock, sensing the snide in his voice.

"He wants to make sure she's physically fine," Numbuh One answered, an edge in his voice.

"Let's get going then," Palmar ordered, sending a look to Brent.

The three of us nodded and after saying goodbye, headed off to Dexlabs. We passed Mojo's Volcano (briefly catching him giving a speech to his loyal monkey minions) and entered into Dexlabs, finding a Dexbot outside. He contacted Computress and guided us in, explaining that Dexter was waiting to see us. Computress met us almost immediately, nodding her head slightly.

"Miss Spacebyte, Mister Whitts, Misters Gemini," Computress greeted. "Dexter is waiting for you in his study lab. Please follow me."

We followed Dexter's assistant through his business before entering his lab. He turned and smiled, nodding to his assistant who left without needing to be commanded.

"Alice. It's nice to see you again," Dexter greeted.

"Same to you Dexter," I said with a smile and a nod. "What do you need of me?"

"Just a physical. I want to make sure you're alright," Dexter said. "I also wanted to check on your Nanos. How many do you have so far?"

"Seventeen," I answered after thinking about it.

"Impressive," Dexter said with a nod. He held out his gloved hand. "May I see your NanoCom?"

I nodded and took off my NanoCom from my hip, handing it to Dexter. He quickly placed it on his computer keyboard and tapped a few keys before returning to me. He motioned with his head for me to follow, and I did. My friends followed as well. Dexter stopped in front of what I thought of as a pod meant for cloning. I gulped a little and looked at him questioningly. Tapping a few keys, the door opened with a typical futuristic noise and he nodded towards it.

"If you could kindly step in, I can begin the scan," Dexter said.

"O...okay," I answered hesitantly.

"Is this thing even safe?" Brent questioned.

"It doesn't look very safe," Palmar said as I stepped in, turning to face outward.

I won't lie - when the pod door closed I jumped, just catching Dexter say (rather defensively), "Of course it's safe! I designed it!" I took steadying breaths as I heard it come on. Bright blue lights practically blinded me as the machine did whatever it was designed to do. I was thankful that within no time, it turned off and the pod door opened. I quickly stepped out with the help of Palmar and looked at Dexter expectantly. He didn't notice the look as his concentration was solely on the holographic screen that undoubtedly held the results of the test.

"Well," he began. "You're physically fit, though exhausted. But your power levels... they've risen."

"Is that possible?" I asked in surprise. I was already terrified of them, now they've grown in level?

"Seems to be," Dexter answered. "Have you experienced the use of your powers before?"

I bit my bottom lip and fidgeted before nodding, "Twice." Dexter nodded, going back to the screen and typing it in. He walked back to his main computer. He tapped a few keys then handed me back my NanoCom, which I placed on my hip.

"Incredible," Dexter said, looking at the screen that showed all seventeen Nanos, in order of gaining them.

"Is this all we're here for?" Palmar asked.

"Yes. I can perform the rest of my studies later," he said with a wave of his hand. "You are free to leave."

"Bye Dexter," I said to him kindly as we exited the room.

"Goodbye Alice. Oh, and excellent job on finding Buttercup. If it's possible, find more heroes to help us in this war," Dexter said.

I smiled and nodded at him (though he couldn't see them) as I turned and left the room. We exited the building and stood outside, facing the small park separating the rivaling businesses. Brent stretched then placed his arms behind his head.

"So? Where to now?" he asked.

"Don't know. We could look around," Trent suggested.

My NanoCom beeped.

"Or someone can ask us for help," Palmar commented as I activated my NanoCom.

"Numbuh One?" I asked, surprised to see him on the screen.

"Alice. I need you and your group mates to come back immediately," Numbuh One ordered.

"Another Fusion?" Brent asked.

"No. Robobradley, actually Numbuh Six, has been taken by Asphalt Freaks," Numbuh One explained. "Come down here and find him."

"Right," I said.

We ran as fast as we could back to Townsville Park and to the breeding grounds of the Asphalt Freaks to find Numbuh One already taking down some. We took down several of the Monsters before one dropped a sack. Without saying a word, Trent opened the bag and poured out the contents.

"Crystals," he muttered.

"They've taken Numbuh Six to Crystal Caverns," Numbuh One commented. "This must be the work of a Fusion. Quick-"

"Head to the Caverns, save Robobradley, and defeat the Fusions," the boys said in unison.

"And we're off to save another hero," Brent commented with a bit of sarcasm.

Numbuh One's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at the boys before shaking his head and turning to me.

"When you've rescued Numbuh Six, take him to Numbuh Three, and give her these strict instructions: Take care of any wounds he may have and then send him to Dexlabs," Numbuh One instructed.

I nodded, soaking in his orders. Once sure I knew my mission, Numbuh One left us and we headed back to City Station, catching a ride back to Mount Blackhead and then trekking our way towards Pimpleback Mountain. Gwen, talking with a Plumber, looked up and smiled at us.

"Hey guys. Didn't expect to see you back so soon," she greeted.

"It's nice to see you too Gwen, but we've got a Fusion to stop," Trent said.

Gwen nodded in understanding.

"Be careful," she warned.

We nodded and headed up to the entrance of the Infected Zone. Entering it, we began to move along the obstacles before entering an activated Fusion Portal. We entered it, and began to defeat more Asphalt Freaks that had the gall to stand in our way. It didn't take long for us to find Robobradley, who was trapped in a crate. Palmar forced the top open, and bent in, blinking.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

I peeked in, and couldn't help a small "Awh" from escaping my mouth. Inside was Robobradley, a little skunk (well, half skunk; the other half was mechanical). Even still, I thought he was very cute. I bent in and scooped him into my arms just as he looked up at me with his one eye.

"Ohh. You're so cute little one," I cooed. "Don't worry, we'll protect you and get you out of here." I began to lightly rub his belly with my finger, eliciting giggles from the Kids Next Door operative. I then rubbed noses with him, getting more high pitched giggles. "Oh. You are cute."

"Alice. You do remember we have a mission to perform, right?" Palmar asked.

"After that, you can play mommy with him later," Brent said with a smile. "You look like a mother."

I sighed and nodded, a little sad that I wouldn't be able to play with Robobradley some more (I of course had a blush on my face thanks to Brent's comment). I grabbed my NanoCom and called Numbuh One, telling him with a smile that I found Robobradley. He nodded, telling us for doing a good jump, then telling us to defeat Fusion Numbuh One before ending transmission. We continued through the lair and towards the clearing that held Fusion Numbuh One. Robobradley, from my arms, growled under his breath as we approached the Fusion with our weapons in hand.

"Don't move Robobradley, and I'll protect you," I whispered to him.

"3...2...Now!" Palmar shouted.

The Fusion turned at his voice and was met with our weapon's attacks. He stumbled, but threw Fusion Matter balls at us, trying to gain a hit. When he found that he couldn't hit us, he sent all three of his gas-masked Spawns at us. The team split, avoiding them, but one masked Spawn was able to nick me in the side, sending me and our rescue to the ground. I shut my eyes and hissed out the pain.

"Alice!"

I didn't respond. I could hear a small animal sound next to me and a soft paw touch my face, but I didn't respond. I only opened my eyes when I became aware that Robobradley left my arm. He was running at the Fusion, his mechanical left arm in the air. The Fusion snarled and shot at him. My fear of him being hurt made me raise my hand and place a force-shield in front of the skunk operative, protecting him from the hits. Droping my weapon, I raised my other hand and sent a blue energy ball at the Fusion, hitting it square in the chest. The Fusion screamed in pain, but with another energy ball in the chest, it turned into Fusion Matter that morphed into Nano Numbuh One.

"Nano Numbuh One. At your service," the Nano said.

I attempted a smile, but the pain in my side demanded attention, making me cringe and place a hand to it. I felt a pair of arms on my shoulders, helping me up into a sitting position. My slowly peeled my hand off, but at the sign of red, I placed it back over. I whimpered slightly and was about to call on Nano Eduardo when Nano Numbuh One floated near my wound.

"You're hurt," he muttered. "_First Aid._"

My Nano and wound glowed brightly, and before my eyes, the blood had stopped, the wound was sealing, the pain was gone, and I even felt more awake. I blinked in surprise, then smiled up at my Nano.

"Thanks," I stated.

He saluted with a smile and disappeared in my NanoCom. I smiled at him, then looked back at my shirt, surprised to see that where the fabric was cut had been sewn back together. Maybe my Nano did that? I didn't comment nor question and merely allowed Palmar help me stand up.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

I nodded, bending back down momentarily to pick up Robobradley, who looked happy to see I was alright. I smiled and once again rubbed our noses together.

"C'mon mother, let's get going," Brent said cheekily from the exit portal.

He grinned at my blush, but Trent came to my defenses, whacking him upside his head. We exited the lair and then Infected Zone, heading back down to ease Gwen's worries. She smiled upon seeing us and our rescue.

"Oh. He's so cute," Gwen said.

"Why does the skunk get all the chicks?" Brent muttered under his breath.

We left Pimpleback Mountain and headed back for Mount Blackhead. Numbuh Four greeted us with a smile that looked more like a smirk.

"Robobradley. Man, haven't seen him in a while," Numbuh Four said, rubbing his hand on the top of the baby skunk's head.

Robobradley giggled at the touch. Suddenly, an almost screeching sound made all of us cringe, and I found myself on the ground with something heavy on me. Blinking, I looked to see Numbuh Three sit up with Robobradley in her arms. By the looks of it, it looked like she was trying to strangle the breath out of him, but he was smiling.

"Oh Bradley!" she cooed. "It's so good to see you!"

"Numbuh Three, Numbuh One needs you to check over him for any injuries and then send him to Dexlabs," I instructed her, sitting up.

Numbuh Three nodded, though I wondered if she really listened to me, and left. Numbuh Four helped me up and I dusted myself off.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Numbuh Four questioned.

"Eat!" Brent commented before I could get a word in edge-wise.

I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Food sounds good," I said.

"Are you feeling light-headed?" Palmar immediately asked.

I shook my head, "No. I feel fine actually, just a little hungry."

"With all our running around, we would be hungry," Trent pointed out.

"C'mon then. Let's get you four some food," Numbuh Four said with a grin.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter, studying the screens that held nothing but Alice's data (three of them: the Professor's, his, and the newest one). He was studying their similarities and differences, and trying to find what made her special, when a small message box popped up in the corner of the screen. Annoyed at the interruption, he clicked on it, expanding its view.

"What is it Mojo?" he asked the monkey on the screen.

The monkey, looking uncharacteristically frantic, shrieked out, "A FUSION KIDNAPPED MY SONS!"

Dexter blinked, not expecting _that_ from the villainous simian.

"Huh?"

* * *

**A/N: And done. How was it? Was it a good chapter? After completeing this chapter, I have decided I want a Nano Numbuh Six. Wouldn't he be the cutest?**

**Don't know when the next chapter will be out because I have two stories I want to finish up, but won't it be fun? The Rowdyruff Boys will be appearing! ^^ If anyone reads from Bleedman, picture them as the boys (until FF includes them, we'll just have to imagine).**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	17. I'll Be a Monkey's Sons

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the last one and are excited for this one. The Rowdys are just an older version looking of how they are in the cartoons. I modeled them a bit from Bleedman's versions, but not too much.**

**I'm changing up the Nano Missions a lot, so if you have a heart-attack, you are pre-warned and may leave. If you could honestly care less on how Alice gets the Nano, please continue reading.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Seventeen:** I'll Be a Monkey's Sons

* * *

Lunch went very well (Brent and Numbuh Four competed to see who could eat the most), but towards the end, I got a call from a flabbergasted Dexter. Palmar and the boys were a little annoyed at being interrupted from a break, but I didn't mind. It was important, after all.

"What do you need Dexter?" I asked after stepping outside to take the call.

"Uh... Mojo is actually the one requesting assistance, so I nominated you, and am merely _informing _you," he answered.

"Well... What is it?" I asked.

"His... sons have been kidnapped by a Fusion," Dexter answered.

I blinked and looked at my NanoCom in surprise.

"What?"

Dexter was pushed out of the screen by a frantic looking Mojo.

"My boys! My precious Brick, Boomer, and Butch were taken right before my eyes," he cried, real tears falling, showing his distress. "They were taken by a Fusion me!"

I never really liked villains (except Lou) because they terrified me, but right now, I was sympathetic towards Mojo. His poor children, but what did they want with...

"You want us to rescue the freaken _Rowdyruff_ _Boys_?" Palmar suddenly questioned from behind me.

I placed a hand on my chest and released a shaky breath. I _really_ hated it when someone snuck up on me with my back turned. I looked over my shoulder at Palmar, who had a glare dead set on the screen of my NanoCom.

"Palmar?"

"His three boys are super villains. We're not helping," Palmar said.

"But-" Mojo was cut off by Palmar, who ended the transmission.

"Palmar!" I said in shock.

"We're not helping him," he repeated.

"And why not?" I questioned.

"The Rowdyruff Boys are on par with the Powerpuff Girls. They're powerful, mean, and have no regard for anyone but themselves," Palmar explained to me. "They're better off with the Fusion than us."

I didn't like his answer. I wasn't fond of villains either, but these were _children_ to a worried _father._ We had to do something. I stated this much to Palmar, but he was having none of it and was trying to argue with me against it. Finally, I decided for reasoning.

"Please Palmar," I begged. "They may be able to help us in this war."

"And what makes you so certain of that?" Palmar questioned.

"Wouldn't they be angry against Fuse and assist us in battle against him?" I questioned.

I had become accustomed to reading my teammates expressions, and I felt like I had the ability to read them. I could see it in his eyes; he was slowly agreeing with my statement. I was slowly winning him over. He sighed and leaned against the house.

"Fine," he said. "We'll help him. I just didn't want you to get hurt. Those three have no sense of control."

I felt a little touched by his concern and nodded a little. He didn't say a thing except when he opened the door and called for the twins, informing them we were on another mission. I smiled to myself and quickly went through my contacts; first calling Dexter who redirected me to Mojo after explaining that the talking simian was no longer at his lab. Mojo was still distressed, much different from his arrogant appearance whenever he was on the television screen.

"Mojo, did you see where the Fusion took your sons?" I asked calmly.

"No!" he wailed. "The Fusion me took then southward though. Quickly, I command you to find them!"

"We'll do our best Mojo," I said to him, "I promise."

"Who're we saving this time?" Brent asked as we headed for the S.C.A.M.P.E.R..

"The Rowdyruff Boys," Palmar replied, still upset.

"What?" the twins said in surprise.

Palmar sent me a look which I didn't respond to; if they didn't want to help me, I didn't mind going by myself. When we entered the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and asked him to take use back to City Station ("Twice in one day?" he joked), my NanoCom went off. It was a message from Boomer Bango, one of Mojo's minions. He explained that he had followed the Fusion and watched as it went to Bravo's Beach, entering the Infected Zone. He wanted us to meet him down in Orchid Bay.

We exited the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and, taking the outside lifts back to the bottom, headed towards Orchid Bay. We made it in good timing, and found the Grim Reaper muttering to himself with his back turned to us. I carefully stepped up and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ah, Alexis. Did ya get da-" he cut himself off when he turned and realized we weren't who he was waiting for. "Oh. Hello children. What do ya need from me?"

"We were hoping you could help us find a Boomer Bango?" I asked.

"Boomer Bango?" Grim asked, placing a skeleton finger on his chin in thought.

"Over here kids," the monkey minion said as he stepped next to us. "Glad you got here quickly. The Fusion and its captives are that-a-way."

"Thank you," I said kindly.

"Once you're done come back to me with the boys and I'll take them back to Master Mojo," Boomer instructed.

"We will," I responded, nodding, our team heading off towards the Beach Bravo Infected Zone.

We passed the Orchid Bay Infected Zone skate park and what looked like a large, floating ice mountain off the shoreline of Orchid Bay. We paid it no mind as we stepped onto the beach and into Beach Bravo. The Zone came into our view, but we were suddenly blocked.

"Hello little kiddies. Don't you know this beach is closed?" an Elvis-sounding voice asked.

The blond haired man in a black shirt, blue pants, and black sunglasses stared down at us, striking a pose. He was very muscular from the waist up. Palmar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We don't have time for this. Move Bravo!"

"Uh-uh. That's Johnny Bravo to you kiddy," Johnny said.

"Whatever," Brent said with a roll of eyes.

"Now this beach is closed for all those creepy monsters running around," Johnny said, doing various poses from 'creepy'.

"We know, but we have to continue," I said. "We've been sent to head into the Infected Zone to rescue the Rowdyruff Boys."

"The Rowdyruff Boys?" he questioned, his feet jumping off the ground with his hair standing up straight. He landed on the ground and remained compose. "Why would you want to do a thing like that little lady?"

"Because we have to," I responded, hoping he'd let us pass.

"Well I can't let such a little thing like you run off by yourself," he said, patting the top of my head.

I blinked and looked over at Palmar, wondering what to do next. Palmar shrugged, doing his best to school his annoyance from his profile.

"Johnny!" a voice called.

Almost immediately, a girl with bright red A-line bob cut hair with a green hair band holding it together ran up to Johnny, latching her arms around his arm. Her black eyes shone as she smiled wide. She was wearing a white-collared blouse under a green overall dress that went to just above her knees, while she wore white socks going to her mid-shins and black shoes. She looked to be the same age as the rest of us. Johnny didn't look as pleased as she did and began to wiggle his arm out of her grasp.

"What do you want Suzy?" he questioned with a grunt as he pulled out of her grasp.

"Came to get you. Carl wants you to see his newest invention. He promises it'll fight off the Squish Scalers," Suzy answered, expressing amazing strength as she began to pull Johnny away from us.

"Awwwwh," he whined. "But I don't wanna see the nerd's newest invention."

Suzy giggled and noticed our presences. With a still ever present smile she stopped and waved at us.

"Hi everyone. Sorry for being so rude, but I have to take him to Carl now. My name's Suzy by the way. It's nice to meet you," she said, once again pulling Johnny.

I smiled and waved.

"Nice to meet you too Suzy," I greeted with the smile.

"Let's keep going," Palmar suggested.

With a nod we continued across the beach, only encountering a few Scalers before arriving at the Infected Zone entrance. Upon entering the Zone (surrounding a ginormous sandcastle!), we made our way to one of the activated Fusion Portals, which was the easiest to find with us only having to kill two Scalers that were in our way. We stepped on the Portal Pad and soon entered the underground lair. We wandered through the lair, fighting off the Spawn Simians and keeping an eye out for the three boys.

My mind tried to recall who the three were, but I couldn't put a name to a face. On par with the Powerpuffs? How was that possible? I didn't know either sides well enough, but I know -like everyone else- how the Powerpuffs came to be. Professor Utonium couldn't have made them, not from what Mojo was saying as claiming they are his sons. So, was he the one who made them? How? Why (well, never mind the why)? Where these really so bad that no one but Mojo and his minions (and maybe Dexter, but maybe because he doesn't want a bawling Mojo on his gloved hands)?

"Alice!"

The warning voice woke me from my thoughts and made me looked up. I was hit in the chest by a claw, making me step back. I looked up and found a Spawn Simian approaching me with a glint in its eyes. Somehow, during my thoughts with myself, a lone Simian was able to attack me while my teammates were handling three of their own. Ignoring the pain on my chest, I called on my Nano Billy.

"Destroy us all!" he screamed when he appeared, his eyes wide in fright.

Having a self-realization of the situation and what was happening, he quickly shouted, "_Snot Rocket_" and used his attack on the Simian, sending the Fusion Monster reeling back. Raising my hand, I sent out an energy ball, hitting the Simian in the stomach and killing it, reducing it to nothing by Matter. Looking up, I found my teammates still fighting off their Simians. I switched out Nano Billy and instead called out Nano Blossom. Without needing to instruct her, my smart Nano used her _Ice Breath_ on the three, stunning them from where they floated. I raised my hand again and sent an energy blast, mindful to not hurt my friends. The blast hit their intended enemies and caused the Monsters to turn to Matter. I returned my Nano when the boys approached.

"Quick thinking," Trent complimented. "Your powers are very powerful."

"We can talk about that later. We need to stop the Fusion and save Mojo's precious boys," Palmar said, leading us through the lair again.

We continued through the lair and soon came upon the clearing, a familiar setting for all Fusions of any lair (for what reason, I will never know). Peaking around the corner, we were able to spot Fusion Mojo and his three captives. The boys looked to be knocked out, leaning against a boulder, with a strange Fusion rope wrapped around them.

Without needing to explain a thing or give a signal, we ambushed the Fusion. He was surprised at first, but soon got into his blood-lust craze and fought back with everything he had, including the drill for a hand. We dodged his hits and fired back, causing more damage than he could. He opened his mouth and released a monkey cry that shook the ground, knocking us off our feet. Before I could get to my feet again, Fusion Mojo leaped from his place where he stood to where I now laid, leaning over me with his sneering profile. He raised his drill hand and placed the top at my throat, threatening me. With a gulp, my sympathetic nervous system kicked in. Sitting up slightly, I released my hold on my weapon and placed both palms on his chest, closing my eyes and sending a blast into his chest. He released a strangled, monkey cry and turned to Matter that soon turned into a cute version of Mojo.

"Nano Mojo Jojo," he greeted, his purple cape flowing slightly behind him before he disappeared into my NanoCom.

I sighed a little with relief and picked myself up, releasing a giant breath as I felt my body relax. The other boys had picked themselves up. I stepped over to the three tied up boys, crouched down, and made to touch the rope when a hand suddenly reach out and grabbed my wrist. My eyes shot up to look into glaring red eyes. My voice hitched and my eyes widened a little more in fear as I felt the hand on my wrist tighten. I was undoubtingly scared, and the tension between us seemed to grow until he finally released my wrist, which I clutched to my chest immediately and scooted back a little in fear. A hand on my should made me turn to look over my shoulder. Palmar had his hand on my shoulder, offering me protection and comfort, but was glaring at the hat wearing boy with the long red hair.

"Well?" the boy to his right, wearing a green shirt, demanded with flaring green eyes.

I gulped a little and reached out to the rope again, this time heading for the boy with the blond hair and blue eyes. He seemed the calmest and most approachable than the other two. The tips of my fingers barely touched the rope, but almost immediately there was a bright light and the rope was gone, freeing the three boys from their trap. Almost immediately they were on their feet. The green eyed one was hopping on his feet, a sinister smile on his face while the red eyed one simply flexed his hand, continuing his glare-off with Palmar. The blue eyed one... was holding his hand out to me. Blinking and looking into his eyes (noting the quick annoyance building in his eyes), I quickly took his offered hand and allowed him to help me up. He released my hand once I was on my feet and rubbed it on the side of his pants. I was hardly offended and simply backed up till I felt two hands on my shoulder, quickly seeing they were the twins.

"Fusion," the red eyed stated.

Palmar nodded tensely. The cap-wearing boy turned his eyes on me, and I felt jumpy and scared. The hands on my shoulder tightened and Palmar discreetly stepped in front of me, trying to hide me from the boy's vision. And then, in the blink of an eye, all three comforts were gone and I was standing toe-to-toe with the red-head. I widened my eyes in fear and watched him study me before he raised a hand that was curled into a fist. Flinching, I quickly raised a force-shield and stepped back. The punch met the shield, but it didn't break. I breathed a little in relief and watched as he narrowed his eyes in calculation. For safety I expanded my shield to a dome. The green eyed boy chuckled.

"Honestly Brick," he began, "_this_ is how you punch!"

He launched from where he stood and punched the dome, but like Brick, his punch didn't damage it. I breathed in more relief at the fact that it stood. The green shirted boy snarled and continued to punch the dome. I began to began frightened that the dome would fall, and as if sensing my fear, Nano Four Arms appeared. He floated in front of me, snarling at the Rowdyruff boys.

"Hey! Back off buddy!" my Nano demanded.

"What did you say you little shrimp!" the green eyed boy snarled.

Before another punch could hit the dome, another hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. It was the blond haired boy.

"Boomer," he snarled.

"She saved us. And right now, our enemy is Fuse," Boomer replied to Butch (based on the fact that that was the only name left). "Leave her be."

"Going soft on us are ya baby Boomer?" Butch hissed.

Boomer's eyebrows furrowed and tightened his hold.

"Why waist your enemy on the girl when it can be put to better use against the one who almost took our powers?" Boomer questioned.

The boys were in silence before Brick whacked Boomer on his head. Boomer released his hold on Butch and held his head, glaring at Brick.

"Idiot," he muttered, before turning a glare on me. "Be lucky we want revenge, rather than deal with you."

"Your... your father is worried about you," I spoke up.

"Who cares," Brick replied, stepping to the Fusion Portal.

I watched them with a saddened look, ready to thank Boomer for stopping Butch, but the boys were already gone. I dropped the dome and called back my Nano (who was more than happy when he saw the boys gone) and looked around for my friends. They were on the ground, getting up to a sitting position.

"That hurt," Brent moaned.

Palmar was on his feet and by my side, checking me over for any damage. Sure that I was safe, he nodded and patted my shoulder, a clear signal to leave the place. We quickly exited the lair and stepped back onto the beach, only to hear Butch angrily threaten the Dexbot on the pad. We quickly headed back down and nodded to the Dexbot. Almost immediately we seven were outside of the Zone. The three turned to glare at us and took off.

We made our way back to the awaiting Boomer Bango, who looked confused when we didn't show up with the boys.

"Where are they?" Boomer questioned.

"They... they took off," I answered. "I'm sorry."

Boomer sighed and shook his head.

"It's alright. I doubted you'd be able to get them to follow you four anyways," Boomer replied. "I'll report back to Mojo anyways. Thanks for doing it anyways."

We parted ways and decided to simply head up into City Station and rent out two hotel rooms. It would be a long way back to the Outpost, and it seemed Downtown was active. I sighed quietly as I laid against the single bed in the room and felt my spine react at the new position. It felt _really _good. I was about to fall asleep when my NanoCom beeped, making me grab for it and see who was calling. Mojo.

"H-hi Mojo," I greeted, slightly scared about his reaction.

To my surprise, he was smiling with tears running down his cheeks.

"I, Mojo Jojo, am grateful to you for freeing my precious sons," Mojo said.

I never expected _that_ from him.

"It was no trouble Mojo. I... I'm just sorry that we couldn't bring them back to you," I replied truthfully.

"Yes. Boomer Bango told me about that. But boys will be boys," Mojo said with a shrug. "I am now certain that if I ever need you again, I shall call upon you to perform them."

He ended the transmission before I could reply, but it left me smiling. Soon, however, a new face appeared on my NanoCom. Touching the screen, I was greeted with the creepy smile of Him.

"Hello dear," his voice said with that echo.

"H-hello Him," I said to him.

"I saw what you did for my boys," Him said.

"_Your_ boys?" I asked in confusion. "But... but I thought Mojo was the Rowdyruff Boys father."

"He brought them to life, yes. But _I_ revived them when the Powerpuff Girls destroyed them. I am their father," Him replied.

Before I could get a word in, Mojo suddenly reappeared on my NanoCom screen.

"You lying red, hairless being! I am the boys' true father! Not you!" Mojo shouted.

"Oh please. You only made them. I brought them back," Him replied.

"That does not make you their father!" Mojo shouted.

The two began to bicker with one another about who was the real father while I watched in quiet shock. As it progressed, I placed the NanoCom on mute and placed it on my hip, off to see if the boys wanted to get dinner before we decided to get some rest. The two didn't stop arguing till I went to bed.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter worked endlessly into the night, smiling as he held up his finished product. Mandark, also with him, stood on the other side of the project table and nodded with some pride. Both had worked together and used their intellect to come up with the newest invention to grace the face of the war...

...a hoverboard.

They sent off their plans to their respective robots and ordered them to make hoverboards of very kind, including gliders and hovercars. They wanted to get these things to the fighters as soon as possible...

...they were shooting for the next day.

* * *

**A/N: Finished! ^^ This was fun. I enjoyed throwing in Johnny and Suzy. How many of you expected it? Debating on if the Rowdy's will be returning, or if I'll put up a side story with them. *Shrugs* Tell me how the story went.**

**The vehicles are on their way! As well as three Nanos. Expect a longer chapter next chapter.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	18. Two Genius' and Death

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War

**Author:** AnimeGirl 144

**Chapter Eightteen:** Two Genius' and Death

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter and Mandark were worn out from their late-night designs. Their hoverboards were right now being mass-produced in every size, color, and design by the combined forces of Dexbots and Manbots. The two geniuses were currently sleeping on their planning board, head in arms and mouths open with snores. They were interrupted by a hand slamming down on the table, waking them up by the vibration of the table and the sound of hand hitting desk. Both looked up to see a very angry Blossom glaring at Dexter.

"What is it Blossom?" Dexter demanded while yawning, cleaning his goggles.

"You had Alice rescue the _Rowdyruff Boys_?" Blossom demanded.

"Yes," Dexter replied back calmly.

"_Why_? The boys are _evil_ and want to do nothing but _destroy,_" Blossom argued.

"I'm just going to go check on production," Mandark said, quickly running away from the impending fight.

"Because, Blossom," Dexter continued, not noticing his rival's retreat, "They're super-powered beings and we need them to assist in this war."

"Why? Alice is doing a great job! You're always talking about her and how she will be the one to save the war. Why do we need those three?" Blossom questioned.

"Because... we need to have a back-up plan if anything should happen," Dexter replied.

"What could happen?" Blossom asked, curiosity ridding the Puff of anger.

"I've been monitoring her power levels, and they progressively grow in level. They may get to a point where she can't control them and it kills her or Fuse will send more powerful Monsters and Fusions after her," Dexter said, sighing tiredly but with worry in his voice. "She's no older than us, and already she's got more on her shoulders than we do. It's bound to take its toll."

Blossom blinked in surprise.

"Wow. Maybe you're not all math and science like you project. You honestly care for other people," Blossom said.

"Thanks for the compliment," Dexter said with sarcasm and a smirk.

"So what's all this?" Blossom asked, using her hand to indicate the papers on the table.

"Plans for vehicles," Dexter replied. "Do you know where Alice is located?"

Blossom shook her head with mild confusion.

"No, I don't. I only know about her freeing the Rowdyruff's because Brick paid me a personal visit last night," Blossom replied, her face souring at the end.

"Hmmm. Okay. I'll find where they are," Dexter said absentmindedly.

"Why?" Blossom asked in curiosity.

"Wanted to give her and her teammates these," Dexter replied, pushing Blossom four blue-print plans.

Blossom looked at them before nodding.

"I'll go see if I can find them and send them back over this way," the red-haired Powerpuff said.

"That'd be very appreciated," Dexter said, giving his attention back to his blue-prints.

Blossom stayed for a few more seconds but when it was clear her company was no longer required, she left the business and headed off to find Alice and her friends.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

We left our hotel and headed towards City Hall, deciding we should help the Mayor in some way. Ms. Bellum and Bubbles were there as well, happy for the assistance. And then there was Princess who demanded we help her get rid of some Monsters in the Sunken Mall. We spent some of the morning fighting the Monsters in the Sunken Mall and then some Unicycles to pluck pickles for the Mayor (who enjoyed pickles). He was grateful and said he'd give us the key to the city, though he didn't know where it was.

"You don't remember Mayor?" Ms. Bellum asked her boss. "You left five keys across City Point, City Station, and Marquee Row."

"Oh yes! That's right!" the Mayor exclaimed.

"Could you possibly go and grab them?" Bubbles asked. "I'd go, but I have to stay here and protect the Mayor for danger."

"No worries. We don't mind helping out," Palmar said.

"Excellent! When you're done, bring the keys back to me," the Mayor said.

"The first one is in Marquee Row by the Burger Frenzy," Ms. Bellum said. "But I'm afraid that when you touch the key, it will set off a self-designated timer. Grab all five before time is out. Got it? Now here's where each key is..."

After remembering where she said the keys were and agreeing, we headed down to Marquee Row to begin our mission. We were stopped, however, by Buttercup... and Ace.

"Hey Alice," Buttercup greeted, floating over to the group and landing in front.

"Hi Buttercup," I greeted, happy to see that she was slowly regaining her other self. Though she was still wearing her punk-rock outfits, she had gotten rid of the make-up and took out the streaks from her hair, styling it back to its original form. "How are you?"

"Better. I'm slowly beginning to remember my memories," she said.

"Ah. So you're the infamous Alice I've heard so much about."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I smelt the nasty smell of a breath close to my face. Ace, leader of the Ganggreen Gang, stood in front of me. Even with his glasses on, I noticed the way his eyebrows furrowed. He looked angry. I stepped back and noticed how his smile grew a little more. My senses tingled in fear and so I stepped closer to Palmar. He seemed to notice my discomfort because he moved and placed himself partially in front of me, his stance widening.

"So, what brings you to Marquee Row?" Buttercup asked, perhaps oblivious to Ace's behavior.

"That," Brent motioned with a nod of his head to the key.

"Ohh. I meant to do that, but it kept slipping my mind," Buttercup said, rubbing the back of her neck briefly. "Well, we won't keep you. Good luck."

She turned and left, and our group turned to leave too, but I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me and pulling me back. I looked up and nearly paled in fear when I saw Ace glaring down at me.

"I don't like you," he whispered, possibly not wanting to be heard by my team or Buttercup. "You took Buttercup from me. Don't walk around her alone anymore, because something bad may happen to you."

I stared at him in fear, and seeing that I understood him, he released me and followed his band mate. I didn't hesitate to follow my friends, who stopped when they had sensed my disappearance.

"You okay?" Trent asked. "You look a little pale."

"M'fine," I answered.

"Are you sure?" Palmar asked, studying me closely.

I nodded, and after a few moments of silence, the boys let it go and we headed towards the key. Taking a collected breath, I reached down and grabbed the key. And then we raced to the next one and grabbed it. We proceeded with this process with the keys while Trent kept time, noticing that every time we grabbed another key, the timer on the original key would add more time. By time we made it into City Point, we grabbed the key and watched as the timer turned off. The Mayor then appeared on my NanoCom screen.

"Excellent work! Now bring those keys back to me for a reward," the Mayor said.

We left City Point and entered City Hall, slightly warn out from all the running we had done. The Mayor, his assistant, and Bubbles greeted us with smiles and congratulated us on a job well done. As a reward, the Mayor presented us the (one of many) key to the city. We took it with a smile before we heard something land behind us. Turning, we saw Blossom walking towards us from where she had landed at the top of the stairs. She smiled and nodded at us.

"There you four are. Was looking around for you practically everywhere," she said.

"Hello Blossom," we greeted as she stepped closer.

"Blossom!" Bubbles said with pure happiness and excitement in her voice. She jumped and wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Bubbles, it's only been a few weeks," Blossom chuckled, hugging her sister.

"Yes, but that's still so long!" Bubbles giggled. "We have to see Buttercup."

Blossom smiled warmly and nodded. I noticed her eyes briefly flicker in my direction before returning to Bubbles.

"Yeah. We should. I'll organize a picnic in Sector V for all of us to go to," Blossom said. She then looked over at us. "In the meantime, Dexter wants me to take you to his lab."

"What did we do now?" Brent complained as he threw his arms in the air.

"He's already checked Alice's readings. What does he want with her now?" Palmar questioned.

"It's a surprise," Blossom answered with a coy grin. "Just follow me."

We followed her with curiosity; what did Dexter want with us now? We entered Dexlabs where Blossom dropped us off and we were then guided by Computress. We entered one of his labs, and were immediately in awe when we saw assembly lines of what looked like wheel less boards and cars.

"Those look cool," Brent said.

"I'm glad you approve of them," Dexter's voice said from behind us.

No longer startled, we turned and looked at the boy genius who smiled and nodded at us, motioning with his arm to the table next to him. Laying on it were miniature versions of four vehicles.

"Whoa! So cool!" Brent said, running over to the table and looking at the car.

"What are these?" Trent asked, looking over the vehicle next to his brother.

"Vehicles," Dexter replied. "And more specific, a hoverbike, glider, hoverboard, and hovercar. And, they are yours."

"Really?" Palmar asked as he observed the glider. Even he looked impressed. Maybe it was a guy thing? "What for?"

"I believe it will be easier for our fighters if they can get from point a to point b faster than walking or running," Dexter said. "Now then, to hand out your vehicles. Brent, your's is the Mock 5 Hovercar there."

"Sweet! It matchs my outfit," Brent commented.

"Trent," Dexter continued, nodding mildly to Brent's comment, "yours is the Genius Hoverboard."

"A fitting vehicle for me," Trent replied.

"Don't let your ego get too big for your head," Brent remarked, earning a pinch on the arm from his brother.

"Palmar, you have the Mercury Glider," Dexter continued. "And Alice, yours is the Dexlabs Jetbike."

"Thank you Dexter," I said to him.

He took the thanks with a smile and a nod before his attention was given to Palmar.

"How do we ride these? They look small," Palmar commented.

"That is so it is easier for you to carry," Dexter explained. "It is the latest technological breakthrough since the turn of the 20th century. Go ahead, touch your vehicles."

Sending curious side glances at each other, we reached out and touched our vehicles. Almost immediately, they disappeared from us. While we were confused, Dexter couldn't stop smiling.

"It's marvelous, isn't it? I - well, Mandark and I - had found this ability to create a _void _for these vehicles. Once it's gotten your DNA signature, it only needs to be called upon for it to appear," Dexter explained.

"Dude! That's insane!" Brent commented. "Is that even possible?"

Dexter raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"We are at war with an alien and his planet, and you think _this_ is impossible?"

"Oh... right," Brent conceded.

"Gotta say. This is the coolest thing you could have come up with poindexter," Palmar said.

I could see Dexter's eyebrow twitch but he managed to school his face.

"Thank you, I guess," he said. "That's all I have for you. You may le-"

"Dexter!" Mandark's voice interrupted, running into the room panting. "Normally I would never come to you because of my high level intelligence, but I need your help."

Dexter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What do you want Mandark? I'm busy launching the vehicles you know," he replied.

"I do not require _your_ help, Dexdork. I require the girl's!" Mandark said, turning to look at me.

"M-me?" I asked.

"Yes. You Alice. I had sent my Mandroids in Morbuck's Tower Infected Zone to track down an 'Omnitrixter' from Sumo Slammer Online when it was suddenly jammed and now my Mandroids will not respond to my commands. I need you to stop whoever did this," Mandark explained.

"No doubt it's a Fusion," Palmar commented.

"Of course we'll help," I said with a nod.

"Good," Mandark said with a nod. "Defeat the eight Mandroids I sent in. Tell me when you have done your job. Mandark, out."

The transmission ended. We left Dexlabs and headed for the Infected Zone at Morbuck's Tower. We entered the Zone and maneuvered through the Zone, fighting off the Monsters in our way and finding the Fusion Portal in the back of the Zone. We entered the portal and began to wander the underground lair, looking for the eight Mandroids. We found and defeated them all before continuing on, quickly coming upon the culprit... Fusion Mandark.

"This should be easy," Brent commented.

"Don't underestimate the enemy," Palmar countered.

Fusion Mandark heard us talking and immediately launched at us. We fired back, managing to land a few hits without getting hurt. The Fusion was beaten and in its place, Nano Mandark rised.

"Mandark," I said into the NanoCom.

"Yes? What is it? I am very busy," Mandark barked.

"The culprit was Fusion Mandark," I replied.

"A Fusion me!" Mandark said. "Hm... And here I thought it was Dexter."

How he suspected Dexter was beyond us, but we decided not to ask such a question. He simply thanked us for our work and ended the call, no longer wanting to speak with us. We exited the lair and out of the Infected Zone.

"Why would a Fusion bother with messing up Mandark's signals?" Trent questioned as he made our way back to Dexlabs (we were in the area, so we thought we'd head out and see if he needed us for anything).

"Who knows why Fusions do anything," Palmar replied. "They have their own agenda, just like we have ours."

We entered Dexlabs, only to be greeted by Dexter, holding what looked like a small gun.

"There you all are, I need a favor," Dexter said to us.

"What is it now?" Palmar sighed.

"Grim wants this shrink ray, but I need you four to do me a favor before I go and send it. After you lot saved Robobradley, I ran some tests. It seems Fuse has a new kind of Fusion Matter that he's using on animals, and the Matter is from ancient tech salvaged from the Hani-Baba Ruins. I need you four to go to the Ruins and defeat some Monsters to test my theory," Dexter said. "You can take the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. to Mount Blackhead then head out to the Ruins from there. Here, bring up your map Alice, I shall show you."

I obeyed and held out my NanoCom. The map immediately showed up, and he instructed the path to take to get to the Ruins.

"Keep me in tabs from there," Dexter replied. "Oh, and tell me how the Hovers ride."

We said our goodbyes to him and exited his lab/business, immediately taking out the Hovers he built for us. While the others were giddy about their respective Hovers, I was wary. I was five when a car tried to hit me. It missed by inches, but the experience terrified me. I wasn't afraid of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. because it's a flying machine, and I love the idea of flying. Riding in a car however... Palmar's hand on my shoulder startled me back from my memories.

"You okay?" he asked in concern.

"Y-yeah," I answered. "Just thinking."

"Well we need to get going," Palmar said, stepping onto his glider.

I saw Brent jump into his hovercar while Trent stepped on his hoverboard, staring at it in awe. With a subtle nod to myself, I sat on the seat of my hoverbike, telling myself that it was simply a hovering bicycle... without the wheels. Palmar took the lead and we followed. The hoverbike was easy to adjust to, and I soon accustomed to it. We arrived at the Tower and boarded the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. that took us to Mount Blackhead. From there, we left the protective fort and made our way to the Ruins via our Hovers, which we quite enjoyed. We zoomed past the Monsters and passed over the line that separated Twisted Forest from The Ruins. We stepped off our vehicles, called them away, and attacked the grazing Dagger Mantises. After killing four, we sent back the results to Dexter.

"Yes, my scanners indicated that this is the same Fusion Matter that infected Robobradley. Perhaps the others carry these as well? Try some Necromashers," Dexter informed.

We traveled to the uppermost corner of the Ruins and defeated six Necromashers. We sent back the results.

"Just as I thought... Well, you need to go to the heart of the matter," Dexter informed us. "I want you to go into the Infected Zone. Fuse is salvaging the tech from there."

We went to the portal of the Zone and entered the Zone.

"I am sure a devious Fusion is running the operation," Dexter continued. "Stay on your guard."

"We always do," Palmar said before Dexter ended the communication.

"This place is huge," Brent whistled in appreciation.

"Yes. Though now it's smaller than I remember," I commented as we stepped to the vine line. "It's still beautiful though."

"You've been here?" Trent asked me when all four of us were by the steps leading to the temple.

"Yes, when I was very little," I answered as we climbed the steps. "My mother was called out here to be a doctor to the archeologist team that was studying the temple. I was able to come along. We styed for three days before the team left."

"Is this normal size for it then?" Trent asked. "I've seen how the other Zones are affected by the Matter, especially their size."

"Possibly. The steps were always large, but the floating rocks are not normal," I answered.

"No doubt the matter's work," Palmar commented.

"Well we better look alive, because we've got some company," Brent said, pointing to Timber Hulks.

We drew our weapons and fought the Hulks. We passed the defeated Hulks and jumped rocks to find the Fusion Portal, entering it. Once inside, Grim came over the NanoCom.

"Oh, look at dat! It's a Fusion of your's truly! Get him!" Grim ordered before ending the communication.

"How does he know?" Brent questioned.

"He's Death. He's probably got more powers than we know," Trent responded.

"Does it really matter now? We need to defeat Fusion Grim," Palmar said.

We fought the oncoming Dagger Mantis and made our way to where the Fusion resided. Fusion Grim snarled and slashed his scythe in our direction. We ducked and shot back. Fusion Grim was smarter than we gave him credit for, because he was able to deflect our shots using his scythe.

"Impressive," Trent stated.

"Alice, we'll give you cover fire. Try and hit him from the side. He can't defend himself if we're in two places," Palmar instructed.

I nodded, and with their cover fire, managed to move along the granite and come to Fusion Grim's side. I shot at him from the side, hearing him release a cry of pain. He was overwhelmed by our shots, unable to attack back. He soon turned into Fusion Matter, and then a Nano.

"How ya doin'," Nano Grim greeted before disappearing into the NanoCom.

"Well that was fun," Brent said. "Can we go somewhere and rest now?"

"Resting is for later," Palmar said. "Inform Dexter we're done."

I nodded and called him up, saying we were done. He smiled and informed us he was sending the shrink ray.

"Only, I need you four to deliver it in person for me. Will you?" Dexter asked.

Ignoring Brent's protest, we agreed. We exited the lair, the Zone and headed back to Mount Blackhead and then onto City Station. From City Station, we arrived at Dexter's Dexlabs. We took the ray and headed down to Orchid Bay. The vehicles made it easier and faster to travel. When we arrived at Orchid Bay, we found a girl my age with short, spiky black hair talking with Grim. She wore a black and green striped shirt, black mini skirt with short leggings, blue combat boots and a skull pendant. As we got closer, we were able to hear in on their conversation.

"_Why_ do you want a shrink ray?" the girl asked.

"Tat's for me to know and for you not to find out," Grim responded, his... eyes catching us. "Ah. There ya four are. Do you have my shrink ray?"

Nodding, I handed over the device. Grim smiled and nodded a thanks. The girl looked between us before holding out a hand.

"Hi. My name's Alexis Bruteache," she greeted.

We introduced ourselves, earning the widening of her eyes.

"Oh wow. You're like... a legend in this war," she said to me.

I blushed and shook my head. I honestly don't understand how people think I'm some sort of legend. I'm no one special. I looked up at Grim and suddenly found myself asking him a question.

"Grim? Can you tell me... if my mother is dead?" I asked Death.

The atmosphere sobered up quickly. Grim stared at me for some time before pulling out a clipboard. He scanned over the paper before looking up at me with a grave look. I didn't need to hear him say it to know the answer.

"I'm sorry. She's dead," he answered.

I released a shuddering breath and nodded. Palmar wrapped an arm around my shoulders, rubbing lightly where his hand laid. Trent and Brent muttered sincere apologies. Even Alexis looked sympathetic. I swallowed a couple times and rubbed at my eyes. I nodded to myself.

"Thank you Grim," I said, trying my best to give a reassuring smile. "We... we should get going."

"Of course dear," Grim said with a nod, still looking sympathetic.

"It was nice meeting you Alexis," I said.

"You too," she said, her voice laced with sympathy.

We waved goodbye to the two before heading out back to Tech Square to see if Dexter needed some more of our help. By coincidence, he did. A Fusion had stolen a Bananaflange from his old lab not too long ago and fled to Galaxy Gardens. We quickly went to the Zone and entered. We quickly searched for the Portal while killing any Monster in our way. We found the Portal and entered. We fought the Horror Kings and found Fusion Computress halfway through. We fought and defeated her easily, obtaining the Bananaflange, but no Nano.

"Dexter, we have obtained the Bananaflange from Fusion Computress," I said to him.

"Excellent!" Dexter said. "Keep it with you and bring it back to me later. Hm... A Fusion Computress? Then there must be a Fusion Dexter nearby. See if there is, and defeat him."

Agreeing and placing the Bananaflange away, we headed through the lair and found Fusion Dexter. He snarled and charged at us. Raising his weapon, he swung his arm and his weapon at us. We moved back to not get hit by him. He followed me and managed to knock my weapon out of my hand. My wrist stung from the attack, and I cradled it to my chest in protection. He began to stalk towards me, but the others were trying to stop him, most, if not all, their beams being deflected. I raised my hand and, focusing on my powers, sent out an energy blast, sending him onto his back. I sent another blast at him, sending him back some more. I grabbed my weapon using my other hand and shot at him a few times before he became nothing but Matter and then a Nano.

"It's a great day for science," the Nano said before disappearing.

"You okay Alice?" Palmar asked, walking over to me.

"It's just my wrist," I answered, rubbing at my sore wrist.

"Have one of your healing Nanos take care of that," Trent advised.

"I will once we get back to Dexlabs," I answered with a smile. "Let's deliver this Bananaflange."

We exited the lair and headed back to Dexlabs, enjoying our Hovers. We handed over the Bananaflange over to Dexter, who took it with a brilliant smile.

"Thank you," he said. "Alice, is your hand hurt?"

"It's just my wrist," I replied. "I hurt it in a fall from the Fusion. Nano Numbuh One?"

My Nano, at my call, appeared.

"Nano Numbuh One, reporting for duty," the Nano saluted.

"Cute," Brent said.

My Nano glared over at my friend, but turn his attention back to me and performed his healing abilities. My wrist felt better, and I rolled the joints to make sure it was fine. I smiled up at my Nano.

"Thanks Nano Numbuh One," I said.

"My pleasure Alice," the Nano said with a smile.

"Hey Alice, how do you know the abilities of your Nanos?" Trent asked.

I blinked at my friend, then at my Nano. How _did_ I know their abilities?

"I... I honestly don't know," I answered.

"Do you mind if I take a sample of your Nano?" Dexter asked. "I'm curious to know about it."

Nano Numbuh One glared at him from behind his sunglasses, moving closer to me.

"It's alright Nano Numbuh One," I said to him, rubbing a comforting finger on his back. "He's nice, and he won't hurt you."

The Nano looked at the Boy Genius curiously, before agreeing, hovering after Dexter. He returned to me and then my NanoCom after Dexter got the sample he needed.

"I should be able to run it and get some results," Dexter said with a nod. "If you are tired, you may retire to the guest rooms and stay the night."

"Thank you Dexter," we said, deciding that that would be the best course of action to take.

I felt drained and just wanted to crash on the bed. Excusing myself to one room, I fell on the comfy twin bed and sighed in content. I felt tired and worn out, and just wanted to rest. I briefly saw the Nano Powerpuffs appear out of the NanoCom and circled in front of me.

"Are you tired?" Nano Bubbles asked.

"Of course she is! Why do you think she's laying like that?" Nano Buttercup responded.

"Lower your voice!" Nano Blossom hissed. "She's tired and you two are too loud!"

"Sorry," both Nano girls whispered sheepishly.

"It's okay," I said in response. "I am going to rest though."

"Okay! We'll head back in and tell the others not to bother you," Nano Bubbles offered.

I smiled at her, nodding quietly and closing my eyes against the pillow. I heard the three disappear, a few seconds of silence, before sounds of appearance began. I opened my eye a little to see all my Nanos (and a quick count revealed I had 22 Nanos) were hovering by me. Without a word, thinking I was still asleep, they began to sleep by my body. Nano Eduardo managed to wiggle his way under my arm, smiling to himself and I couldn't help but smile. Once situated in, we all fell asleep from exhaustion.

* * *

**A/N: Ending could have been better, but this was all I could come up with at the moment. Hope you all liked it.**

**More Nanos next chapter as always.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	19. Nano Aliens

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Thanks for the kind reviews from the last chapter. Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War

**Author:** AnimeGirl 144

**Chapter Nineteen:** Nano Aliens

* * *

I woke up even before a cold hand woke me, mainly because my Nanos awakened me. They began to move about when they heard the door open and in turn that woke me up. A cold hand touched my shoulder and gently shook me awake.

"Miss Spacebyte, it is morning," Computress' voice said. "Dexter says he'd like to see you before you and your team leaves."

"Alright. Thank you Computress," I said to her, groggily waking up.

I heard the door open and close and forced myself to wake up, sitting up and watching my Nanos force themselves awake. Most of my Nanos did not like that thought.

"Awwhhh!" Nano Billy complained, my Nano Numbuh Two nodding in agreement.

"You fools. You can sleep in the Com," Nano Numbuh Five said.

"But iz zo comfy here," Nano Eduardo complained, moving from my arm and back onto the comforter.

"Sorry guys," I apologized, hearing murmur's of "Not your fault Alice" because they disappeared back into the NanoCom.

My Nano Dexter stayed out, however, sitting on my shoulder as he stretched his arms.

"Let'z see what he wants," the Nano said.

"You don't want to go back into the NanoCom?" I asked.

"Nah. Want to see the building," Nano Dexter answered.

I smiled at my Nano before jumping at the sound of knocking on the door.

"C'mon Alice!" Brent called over.

"Coming!" I called back, getting off the bed, putting on my shoes, and rushing to the door.

Exiting, we made our way to Dexter, who was looking over a sheet of numbers.

"Ah, there you four are. How are you?" he asked.

"Well rested," Brent answered. "So, what do you need from us?"

Dexter sighed quietly to himself.

"Vilgax contacted me not too long ago," Dexter began.

"Vilgax?" the twins said.

"What does he want?" Palmar demanded with a glare.

"He says there is a strange energy surge in Tech Square. He believes it may have something to do with a Fusion Demongo," Dexter said.

"How did he come to that conclusion?" Nano Dexter asked.

"I am unsure," Dexter replied. "But if a Fusion _is_ involved, we must stop it."

"We'll check it out," Palmar said. "C'mon guys."

"We'll report to you regularly," I said.

"Be careful," Dexter said.

We stepped out of Dexlabs, and looking up, found the Fusion staring at us. We readied ourselves for a fight, but the Fusion disappeared. Six Mech Queens took his place. We defeated the Monsters, I sent Nano Dexter back into the NanoCom, and I noticed that one an item. Picking it up, I observed it.

"It's a Positioning Drive," Trent said, looking over the item. "It's bizarre."

"Human girl," Vilgax's voice suddenly blared from my NanoCom, making me jump in surprise.

"Yes Vilgax?" I asked.

"What have you found?" he demanded.

"A Positioning Drive," I answered, looking over at my teammates. Was it alright to reveal this information?

"That means the Fusion is heading to Nowhere. Go there now!" he ordered before leaving my screen.

I blinked before looking up at my teammates in question. Max then appeared on my screen.

"How are you Alice?" he asked kindly.

"Fine, sir," I answered. "We're heading over to Nowhere since that is where Fusion Demongo."

"Nowhere?" Max questioned.

"Yes," I said with a nod. "We found a Positioning Drive. Vilgax says it's from Nowhere."

"Kevin's out in Nowhere. Go and talk to him; see what he knows. Max out," Max said, ending the connection.

"Where exactly is Nowhere?" Brent asked.

I pulled up my map and showed them. I had gone towards Nowhere a few times to know where it was and what route to take. We left Tech Square, took the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. to Mount Blackhead, then followed the route through Twisted Forest, The Ruins, Devil's Bluff, Devil's Canyon, and entered Nowhere.

"~He's a real nowhere man~" Brent sang as we headed for the Bagge's house. "~Sitting in his nowhere land/Making all his nowhere plans, for nobody~"

"Brent, unless you're John Lennon or any of the other Beatles, you need to shut up," Trent said.

"Oh come on! That's like the perfect song for this place!" Brent argued.

"And you just killed the perfect song with your tone-deaf voice," Palmar remarked.

I stopped my vehicle when we got close to the house and walked up to it, noting that the other boys did the same. Three people (well, two and a dog) were sitting out on the porch. The dog noticed me first and giving off a happy bark, ran at me. I smiled and bent down, catching Courage in my arms and hugging him, standing up with him still in my arms.

"Oh it's so nice to see you Courage!" I said with a smile.

Courage babbled happily, and I wished I knew what he was saying. The two other people, Juniper Lee and Kevin Levin, ran up to greet us.

"Hey," they greeted.

"You must be Alice. Nice to meet you," Juniper said. "I'm Juniper Lee, and this is Kevin Levin. You seem to already know Courage."

The boys introduced themselves. Two more people stepped out of the house, these two also recognizable.

"Oh Alice!" Muriel said in a cheerful voice.

She rushed forward and pulled me into a hug. I chuckled and hugged her back, having placed Courage down before being pulled into the bear hug.

"Hi Aunt Muriel," I greeted.

"Put the girl down Muriel before you suffocate her," Eustace said.

I was placed down and given a hug by Eustace.

"Nice ta see ya girlie," Eustace said, pulling out of the hug.

"You too Uncle Eustace," I said.

"Your aunt and uncle?" Brent asked.

"Yes, from my mother's side," I answered. "My grandmother is my Aunt Muriel's sister."

The boys nodded in understanding.

"So, what brings you out to Nowhere?" Eustace asked.

"This," I answered, pulling out the Positioning Device. "Can you help us Kevin?"

"Let me see it?" he asked, extending out his hand.

I handed over the device. He began to tinker with it.

"It's from Area 51.5. No doubt whatever dropped this is in there," Kevin replied. "But there's more. It seems Fusion Vilgax was using his device to give Fusion Demongo more power."

"How?" I asked.

"Dunno," Kevin said with a shrug. "Fusion's do strange things that we can't comprehend."

"We should head to Area 51.5 to see if there's a Portal," I said to my teammates.

"It's become an Infected Zone," Juniper said. "Be careful. Who knows what lurks in there."

"We will," I said to reassure them.

"I'll have some biscuits made for you four when you get back," Muriel called as we called upon our Hovers.

"Thanks Aunt Muriel," I said before we took off.

We came to the Area 51.5 Infected Zone and entered, finding ourselves at the bottom of a ditch.

"Well this is new," Brent stated.

"We're not here to view the scenery. We have a job to do," Palmar said, leading us to the platform.

We moved along the floating platforms, becoming use to this sort of things in the Infected Zones, before coming across the Portal and entering it. We killed the Monster's that stood in our way, and came upon Fusion Vilgax. He was taller and heavier built than most Fusions, Fusion Wilt being his only equal in height. Fusion Vilgax turned and snarled like all Fusions did when seeing us. He raised his arm and tried to strike us down with it. We moved and fired at him. He was harder to take down due to his size. He managed to get close to us. He reached out and grabbed me around my neck, lifting me up off the ground. He tightened his fingers, trying to cut off my air flow. My friends stopped firing in fear that they'd hit me, and my own weapon fell to the ground. I couldn't concentrate long enough to use my powers against him. I closed my eyes, begging for Arthena to do something. It was then I remembered my NanoCom and sent a single thought to them.

_Help._

I heard noise from my NanoCom, a petite "Let her go!" and then two attacks: _Snot Rocket _and _Diva Dynamite._ Both attacks must have hit him because he released me from his hold. I fell to the ground, thankfully not hurting myself aside from a stinging pain. I looked up to see Nano Billy and Nano DeeDee hovering by the Fusion. I called out Nano Bloo. He immediately used his _Bloo Glue_, ensnaring Fusion Vilgax in a sticky web, trapping him. I raised my weapon and fired at Fusion Vilgax a few times with my Nanos helping me out. Finally, the Fusion turned into a Nano that nodded in my direction before disappearing. Sighing, I allowed my body to relax, smiling thankfully at my Nanos before sending them back into the NanoCom.

"You alright Alice?" Palmar asked, helping me to my feet.

I nodded, "Yes. My lungs are filling back up with air."

"To be on the safe side, have one of your Nanos heal you," Palmar advised.

I shook my head and headed to the Portal that'd let us leave this place. We exited the lair and the Zone, heading back to the Bagge house, greeted by the five inhabitants of the house.

"Hello there dear," Muriel said. "Biscuits like I promised."

I smiled and thanked her, reaching for one as my teammates followed. It was only when I was about to bite into the biscuit that I thought I should have warned them about my aunt's obsession with vinegar in her cooking. They found out soon enough what was in the biscuits, and, kindly, excused themselves. I smiled quietly to myself, continuing to eat. Years of Aunt Muriel's cooking has made me somewhat immune to the taste of the vinegar. I thanked her for the food and exited the house, finding the boys using the water hose to wash out the taste of vinegar. Smiling apologetically, I walked over to them.

"That should be a crime!" Brent complained quietly, not wanting Muriel to accidentally hear. "Putting that much vinegar in such a small thing!"

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you about it earlier," I apologized. "I'm so used to her food and people knowing about her cooking that I forgot you three never ate her cooking."

"It's alright," Palmar said quickly.

"Are we... are we staying the night here?" Brent asked.

"It's still daytime Brent," Trent said.

"If no one needs us -"

"How about we visit Mount Blackhead?" Brent suggested. "I'm sure your friends want to see you, right?"

I paused and thought about it for a moment. I did want to stay with Muriel and Eustace and Courage, but I did want to see how Numbuh Four and the others were doing. I nodded, heading back in to announce that we were going to be going. Muriel said her goodbyes, Courage gave me a hug, and Juniper and Kevin said for me to return at any time. Eustace was busy working on his truck. We came to Mount Blackhead in a matter of moments, stepping off our vehicles and walking into the fort. Fighters were here, talking and examining their weapons, or showing off their vehicles and armor. None of them seemed to notice us, so we continued on, finding the Magic Tree. He was sagely and told us we were doing good for the world and wished us luck on our journey. Coco found us after that, talking excitedly. My friends were confused, but I picked up on what she was saying.

"We're fine Coco," I said. "How have you been?"

"You can understand her?" Palmar whispered.

"I had Mac teach me," I answered.

"That's helpful. Can you understand Courage?" Brent asked.

"I'm afraid not. At times it seems I can, but it's mostly gibberish," I answered.

"Hey Alice," Numbuh Four greeted, walking up to us. "Where'd you come from?"

"Nowhere," I answered. "We defeated another Fusion."

"Excellent," Numbuh Four congratulated. "You're really turning the tide in this war."

I smiled and blushed. I noticed that Numbuh Four was holding back; he looked like he wanted to ask something, but he didn't want to.

"Is something wrong Numbuh Four?" I asked.

The operative sighed.

"It's these fighters Alice," Numbuh Four began. "They're... they're... They're terrible. Some of them can't fight to save their lives." The kid operative sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's tiring. You four, along with a few others, are probably our only hope to win this war. Still, Dexter sent them here to protect the Outpost and Coco."

"Coco?" Brent questioned.

"Fuse is interested in the power of Imaginary Friends, namely Coco's," Numbuh Four said, and I nodded in agreement.

Coco's eggs could produce almost anything from seemingly nowhere. She was valuable to him.

"I need your assistance," Numbuh Four said, his eyes breifly narrowing in Palmar's direction. No doubt Numbuh Four was remembering their fight. "I would do it myself, but I don't want to leave any of these people without some sort of protection. And I don't trust anyone else to do this."

"Is it that important?" Trent asked.

"In a way. Ed has been complaining about the water lately, and I didn't believe him, but I tasted the water aswell, and there's something foul about it," Numbuh Four said.

"Fusion Matter," the Magic Tree stated.

Eww.

"We need you four to go and clense it," the Magic Tree said.

"How?" Palmar asked.

"With one of my leaves," the tree said, making some of his leaves fall.

The leaves floated towards us and into our hands.

"Kill eleven Creeper Kings around the Twisted River then crush my leaves into the water. It should clean up the water instantly," the Magic Tree instructed.

"We'll do it," I said.

"Thanks," Numbuh Four said with a nod.

We left on our vehicles to the Twisted River, surprised to find that we could hover over the water. We came to the edge of the open river, killing the Creeper Kings before coming to the edge of the river banks. We crushed the leaves into the blue water. At first glance it looked normal, but when we came closer to it, we noticed that it stunk something foul. With the leaves flowing through the water, we saw the water clear a little and the nasty smell disappeared. Palmar scooped up a handful of water and drunk from it.

"It's clean," he said. "Let's head back to the Outpost and tell them."

We returned to find out that they'd already known because the Magic Tree could feel his leaves at work. Ed came up and thanked us for our work (Brent seemed to be fuming at the fact that Ed was still talking like he came from England in the 12th century). Numbuh Three was pleased to see us, showing off a healed Robobradley. We sat at one of the available picnic tables (after Numbuh Four cleared it of them) and ate the lunch that was made (the boys were happy to have 'normal' food). We finished our food when we received a call from Ben.

"Hey Alice, I need your help. I've spotted Fusion Gwen around here. Every time I am able to turn into an alien, she sends her minions and they steal something of my alien. I need you to go down to Steam Alley and I'll instruct you from there," Ben said.

"On our way," Palmar said. "Let's go."

We said goodbye to our friends and left for Steam Alley. The air was heavier and smoggy, making my nose crinkle a little. Ben contacted us once more, asking us to defeat some Putrid Spawns to retrieve the stolen Chromostone Crystal. We found the Spawns, and after defeating a few, we found the crystal. We reported back to Ben, who asked us to find Spidermonkey's Fur from the Oil Ogres. We found the Ogres and defeated a few, finding the fallen fur. We reported once again to Ben.

"Excellent. Now defeat the Gear Goliaths and retrieve Jetray's Talon. That should be the last of it."

We went to the Gear Goliaths and defeated nine Goliaths, finding the talon we needed. With all the items required by Ben, we went to Offworld Plaza. We went to the Hospital, where he was located. We found him talking with a teen in a black Knight Armor set with a Big Chill wing set on his back. He had black hair, black eyes, and wore a Skull Bandana over his mouth. In one hand he held his Optical Greatsword. Both were deep in conversation when we arrived. Ben waved at us when he noticed us, saying something hurriedly to the boy he was talking to.

"Alice. Thanks for your help. I would have gone myself, but with Fusion Gwen and her lackeys trying to steal my Aliens and me keeping an eye on Vilgax, there was no way I could," Ben said.

"It's okay Ben. Anything to stop a Fusion, right?" I said with a smile.

"Vilgax is here?" Palmar questioned.

"Yeah," Ben sighed. "He's over there, on top of the Hospital balcony. As much as I hate him, he has given us some good information on Fuse, though I don't trust him."

I didn't want to look up at the Hospital, feeling a tug of sadness on my heart. Instead, I smiled at Ben and handed over the items he asked us to get for him. He smiled at us kindly and handed the items over to his friend.

"Dark, can you take these to Dexter to see if they've been altered?" Ben asked.

"Of course," Dark said with a nod to Ben, nodding at us before hopping on a KND Hoverboard and rushing off.

"I need you to get one final thing," Ben said. "Fusion Gwen came and took a Swamp Root from Swampfire. She's in the Infected Zone. Find the Portal and defeat her."

"Don't have to tell us twice," Brent said with a nod. "Let's go gang."

I waved by to Ben and followed my friends to the zone entrance. We entered the Infected Zone of the Space Port and looked for the Portal. We found it, and entered the lair, noticing it looked different than most. Instead of a earthy lair, it looked more like a building, complete with walls and tile. We moved through the lair and found a pit filled with Putrid Spawns. We fought the ones that came towards us but moved along the side, coming to a corner of the lair where we found Fusion Gwen. We fired at her. She tried to fired at us with her attacks, but we dodged the attacks and shot back, killing her with a few shots. No Nano nor root appeared.

"Did you find her?" Ben asked over my NanoCom.

"Yes, and defeated her, but she didn't have the root," I answered.

"Then who has it?" Ben asked.

As if answering his question, a mighty roar came from behind us. We turned, getting hit by an arm that swung out at us. We flew backwards, hitting a wall. I opened my eyes quickly, ignoring the pain in the back of my head, finding Fusion Ben glaring at us. He hurled a Matter Ball at us, but I deflected it by raising a force-shield. Keeping the force-shield up, I sent it at the Fusion. He skidded back, but looked unharmed. I sent an energy wave at him, watching as it knocked him off his feet. I fired at him, seeing other laser blasts hit him too. He had no time to stand up and defend himself before he was killed, turning into Nano Swampfire. The alien Nano disappeared into the NanoCom. We stood up and left for the Portal, leaving the lair and Zone, and headed over to Ben, informing him that we killed Fusion Ben, though the root joined to form the Nano.

"That's alright. I'm just happy the Fusions don't have it anymore," Ben said with a smile. "Good work you guys."

"Thanks Ben."

"We should probably find a place to rest," Trent suggested. "Fighting five Fusions in two days is nothing but tiring."

"The Hospital has some spare cots if you'd like to use them," Ben suggested.

"That sounds nice," Palmar said with a nod.

I bit my lower lip but nodded in agreement. We made our way into the Hospital, ignoring Vilgax who glared at us. We entered the Hospital and went to the counter. The nurse smiled at us.

"Hello dear," she greeted.

"Hello Mrs. Forge," I greeted.

"You know her?" Brent asked.

I heard a smack and a whispered hiss, from Trent, "Her mother was in the _medical_ field, remember?"

"Oh," Brent whispered in apology.

"I am sorry for you dear," Mrs. Forge said with a sympathetic smile. "Are you hear for some beds to rest?"

"Yes please," I said with a small smile.

She nodded and called upon another nurse, Miss Beary. She too smiled sympathetically and guided us to a room with four empty beds. We thanked her. The boys, knowing where we were to sleep, left to get food (though they were probably giving me time to myself). Getting up, I moved through the Hospital, remembering it like the back of my hand. I passed many doctors and nurses who nodded in my direction; I nodded back with a sad smile. I came upon my mother's office. She was lucky enough to get one (she was half-owner of the Hospital), and it seemed there was no time to take her name off the door. I opened it gently and slipped in, closing the door and locking it behind me. I glided through the room and sat in my mother's chair. Away from the pressure, away from _everyone,_ I allowed my tears to come to my eyes. I placed my head in my hands and began to sob. My Nanos must have sensed my distress because they came to my defense. Many hugged whatever body piece they could while the others sat on the desk, facing the door, ready to stop anyone if they tried to come in. I was greatly thankful to have them with me. I allowed myself to cry.

I missed my mom.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah! I'm on a roll! ^^ I kind of wanted a sad ending. Hope you all enjoyed.**

**No new Nanos next chapter. We're getting into the Prophecy missions and the Totem missions.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	20. Ancient Totems

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Thanks for the kind reviews from the last chapter. Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy! If anyone finds any connections to Zero's Totem Pole chapters it is purely by accident or coincidence.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty:** Ancient Totems

* * *

We stayed at the Hospital for the week because nobody needed us, so we talked with Ben and Dark, getting to know them more. It was easier being around the Hospital, though I didn't like being around Vilgax. He was always glaring at us. Many fighters were brave enough to retrieve missions from him, but he was otherwise left alone to himself. We were resting (Ben suggested it) when we got a call in from Gwen.

"Hey guys, I need your help," Gwen said.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

"Well, I was going over the Book of Prophecy when some Alpha Arachnids came and tore pages from the book. Luckily, a group of fighters were nearby and retrieved the missing pages for me, but I noticed that there was some rune writing on the back of the spine of the book. I asked Grim to translate it, and we discovered that this was a Hidden Prophecy!" Gwen explained. "There's an ancient, magical defense system on this planet! It can be used to thwart Fuse and protect the Earth! The only way to activate them is from a system of Totem Poles."

"And you want us to activate them?" Palmar asked with a small sigh at the end.

"Yes. I have the order of the activations. You must activate them in order or else you could accidently cause it to self-destruct and take the Earth with it," Gwen said.

"No pressure," Brent joked.

"But you need _us_ specifically?" Palmar questioned.

"Well... more like Alice. She's the only one who can activate them," Gwen explained.

Blinking, I asked, "Me?"

"Yes. It's written in here. These Totems have never been activated before, but it says they require the touch of the Chosen One to activate them. There's even a drawing of you in here," Gwen said, showing the page. To my surprise, the crude drawing did look like me.

"Freaky," Brent commented.

"The first Totem Pole is here at Pimpleback Mountain, in the Crystal Caverns. I should be able to know when the Totem is activated. Good luck," Gwen said, ending the conversation.

"Well you heard the lady. Let's get going," Palmar said.

We said goodbye to Ben and Dark and made our way to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. On the trip to Mount Blackhead, I decided to talk to Arthena and ask about what we had just learned.

_**Yes. That is true. The Totems have Keltic technology that gives it its magical abilities.**_

_How is that?_

_**It was after the Great War on Kelt. The ancestral Keltics noticed Earth. It was the youngest planet, so **_

_**some of the Keltics came to Earth to help the people protect their planet with the use of a defense system.**_

_The Totems._

_**Yes. They made it so that only a Keltic could activate the Totems. Once activated, they can protect this baby planet from any outside invaders.**_

_Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?_

_**Because we need the book first. You must rub the spine of the book on the Totem. It activates it. From there, you will be able to activate the others with only your touch.**_

_But why me? Was it set for any Keltic?_

_**No. It seems you **_**alone**_** were designed to activate them. One of your direct ancestors led the expedition to Earth and designed the Totems. He must have known you would come later and need to activate it.**_

_Like, seeing the future? Can _I _do that?_

_**You were able to inherit a small bit of it. If you remember, your headaches were your powers of premonition. The ability to see the future was extinct. You have more powers than even you know.**_

I wanted to ask her what powers I had, but I was taken out of our conversation by Trent, announcing that we were at Mount Blackhead. We took the Monkey Skyway to Pimpleback Mountain, walking over to Gwen instead of the Caverns.

"Alice, it's good to see you," Gwen greeted, coming out of one of the cabins.

"Hi Gwen. May we have the spine?" I asked.

"The spine?" Gwen asked.

"Yes. Arthena explained that I will need it to activate the first Totem," I answered her.

Gwen nodded and handed over the spine. We quickly headed up the mountain and entered the Infected Zone that housed the Totem.

"So where is this Totem?" Brent questioned.

"Over there," Trent pointed in the direction of the Totem.

Climbing the granite hill, we came upon the Totem. Holding the spine out, I rubbed it against the side of the Totem. It and the spine began to glow the same color. In a burst of light, the spine disappeared, while the Totem continued to glow, outlining the hieroglyphs engraved on the Totem in a golden tone.

"Whoa," Brent breathed.

My NanoCom came to life with Gwen appearing on it.

"The first Totem's activated! Quick, return to me," Gwen said before leaving.

We left the Cavern and returned to Gwen, who looked excited.

"Great work on activating the Totem. Can I have the spine back?" Gwen asked.

I shook my head.

"It... It sort of disappeared," I answered.

_**Inside of you,**_ Arthena supplied for me.

Gwen nodded slowly.

"I thought so," she responded, surprising me. She knew? "I could sense the ability of the book, especially the spine. I can feel it within you now. So, quickly go off and get the other Totems."

"Right. Where are they?" Palmar asked. "You said they have to be in order, so what's the order?"

"Really Twisted Forest, Morbucks Towers, Mojo's Volcano, The Ruins, Devil's Bluff, Nowhere, Steam Alley, and Area 51.5," Gwen said.

"That's a lot of Totems," I commented.

"8, not including the activation Totem," Palmar commented.

"I've memorized the places," Trent said.

"If you need me to remind you the order, just ask," Gwen said. "Good luck. You have to move quickly before Fuse attacks."

We left the Mountain and road up to Really Twisted Forest, doing a quick look around before entering the Infected Zone.

"It's close by," I said, feeling a surge of energy from within the Zone.

"How can you tell?" Trent asked.

"I can sense it," I responded.

"Then let's get moving. Point us in the right direction," Palmar said with a nod.

We moved through the Infected Zone, killing the Monsters that stood in our way. As we moved, the energy grew stronger and stronger, guiding me to where it slept. We found it on a hill that was its own island. The only way to get to the island was one of the jump machines close by.

"Who wants to do this first?" Brent joked.

"I'll go," Palmar said with a nod.

He put himself in the cannon and when the back closed, he was launched from the cannon and shot through the air. He ducked and rolled on the ground, standing up and waving a hand. Brent went next, and landed close to Palmar. I went next, and found myself in my force-field when I landed. I rid myself of the defense and smiled sheepishly. Trent followed after me and landed by his brother.

"Well that was fun," he said.

I went to the Totem and touched it with my palm, feeling the warmth from the Totem as it activated. Like the first Totem, this too glowed brightly as it activated. I was stunned to hear whispered words from a language I did not know. When the Totem was activated, the hieroglyphs were outlined in a red hue, different from the golden hue of the other Totem. The energy I had sensed before nearly multiplied.

"So... how do we get back?" Trent questioned.

A quick look around revealed that the island had no way of getting back to any of the other lands other than falling to the ground.

_**You can fly them over.**_

_I can do _what?

_**Yes. You can fly. Though you have not trained long enough to fly all four of you,**_ Arthena went silent for only a moment before continuing. _**I have an idea. Place them in a force-field and move them back over to the land you had just left.**_

_A-are you sure?_ I questioned in fear.

_**Of course. I will be here to help you.**_

_O-okay._

I opened my eyes to see my friends looking at me.

"I've got an idea," I said.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Brent asked from within the force-field I had around them.

"It's the only idea," Trent commented to his brother.

"You'll do fine Alice," Palmar said. "We're not in a hurry."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded and carefully took to the sky. It was exhilarating to feel weightless in the air. I could feel Arthena helping me maintain control. I raised my hand and gently raised the force-field into the air. My friends jerked from the motion but once it was settled, I began to move them to the land. I gently lowered them and once sure they were safe, I dropped the force-field and flew over to them, landing next to them.

"That was... interesting," Trent commented.

"Good job Alice," Palmar said with a nod.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

"Two Totems down, six to go," Brent commented.

"Where do we go from here?" Palmar asked.

"Morbucks Tower," Trent answered.

"All the way down there?" Brent complained. "These Totems sure are having us run around."

"After that is Mojo's Volcano," Trent added. "It's closer."

"No time for complaints," Palmar said. "We have to get going."

We left the Zone and headed to Mount Blackhead. From Mount Blackhead, we flew to City Station then headed to Morbucks Towers.

"Can you sense the Totem yet?" Trent asked.

"It's faint," I answered.

"Can you get a sense of direction?" Palmar asked.

I closed my eyes and expanded my range of sense. I could feel the Totem hum.

"It's south of us," I answered, opening my eyes and reining in my powers.

"Lead the way," Brent said with a dramatic wave of his arms.

I smiled lightly and guided them towards the southern part of Morbucks Towers. The closer we got the Totem the more I heard it hum. It was in the middle of a construction zone with Heavy Punchers. We made quick work of them and skidded down to the Totem. After two Totems, I was getting used to the aweness of the thing and didn't hesitate to touch it. The voices were once again swimming around my head while it activated. When the light dispersed, the Totem was glowing and the hieroglyphs were outlined in blue. I stepped back, feeling the waves of power flowing off the Totem. Even from all the way in Downtown, I could still feel the other two Totems glowing and humming.

"The next one's much closer," Trent commented. "It's at Mojo's Volcano."

"We'll be there in no time," Brent said with a nod.

We hopped on our Vehicles and headed for the Volcano. His home was rather... strange. His monkey servants littered the grounds which was actually made of glass. Shafts around the glass grounds led to underneath. Grass and trees were underneath. The Totem was underneath - in fact, I could see it from where we stood. Nodding my head downwards and in the Totem's direction, we headed for the shafts and hopped on one, heading downwards and getting off. Spawn Simians were encircling the underneath grounds. We fought them and killed them as we headed for the Totem. I activated it, hearing the voices and watching the Totem glow and the hieroglyphs outline in a purple hue.

"Excellent work Alice. Now we need to head to the-" Trent was interrupted by my NanoCom going off.

"Hello Billy," I greeted over the Com.

"Hiya Alice! Can you stop by Endsville reals fast?" Billy asked. "I have a ... uh ... mission for you to do!"

"Alice, we have other things to do," Palmar interrupted.

"Please! It's _really_ important!" Billy said.

I looked up pleadingly at my friends. With a sigh they agreed, so we left Mojo's Volcano and headed for Endsville via our Vehicles. We arrived in front of Billy's house, seeing the boy run out with his alien Spawn behind him.

"Alice! You arrived!" he said cheerfully.

"What's the big emergency Billy?" Palmar demanded.

"I need Alice to place her hand on the computer console over there please," Billy said, indicating with his hand to the console.

I followed his instructions and placed my right hand on the console. The keypad whirled to life and a light shone, scanning my hand. I suddenly felt sick. The keypad fell silent and I removed my hand, stepping back and falling to my knees. I faintly registered Billy's laughing (why was he laughing?) and my friends calling me. My senses returned to me in a flash, and I was able to feel the hands on my shoulders and Billy laughing in what sounded to be triumph.

"I gots it!" Billy cheered. "I gots your power!"

"What?" three male voices roared.

_Arthena?_ I asked in fear.

_**I am here Alice. He has only taken your ability to activate the Totems. You have all your other powers.**_

"Give her back her power!" Palmar yelled.

"No! I want to be the big hero that saves the day!" Billy whined.

Palmar's grip on my shoulders tightened. I shook my head, unsure of how to get it back, and at the moment, my head was hurting.

"We should go back to Gwen," I said, barely meeting anyone's eyes.

"But Alice, your pow-"

"We should talk to Gwen," I replied, interrupting Trent. "She may know what to do."

"Alright Alice," Palmar said after a few moments of hesitation. "Alright."

We left Endsville and headed back for the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. When inside, I moved to the closest window and curled in on myself. I know I shouldn't have done this, but I felt hurt. Billy was a friend -not a close friend, but a friend nonetheless- and he had gone and stolen a power of mine. I was hurt; betrayed. Never in my life had I felt this. I felt pathetic for wanting to hide under some covers and never come out; for allowing one simple betrayal get to me so much, but I still allowed it. I felt terrible for a long time for being considered a weapon. I knew it would take a while for me to get used to this sting of betrayal. I didn't respond to my friends as we exited the KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R. at Mount Blackhead. Before we could go to Pimpleback Mountain, my NanoCom turned on.

"Are you there girl? I require your assistance."

"Hex," Trent hissed.

I picked up my NanoCom and looked at Hex, having to stop myself from jumping in fear. I shouldn't be surprised by a skulled-face man, but something about Hex scared me. Still, he needed our help. I nodded.

"Yes. Where are you and what do you require?" I asked, surprised to even hear my mono-tone voice.

"I am at Devil's Bluff. Come immediately and I will tell you," Hex ordered. He ended the conversation.

We called on our Vehicles, and headed off to Devil's Bluff, finding a some-what carved out area. Clay houses were built into the walls. We walked through the make-shift village (I think that's what it is) and found Hex standing outside a straw-like hut.

"There you are girl," Hex sneered.

"She has a name," Palmar hissed.

"That is unimportant. Take this stone up to the Totem upon the ledge above us. Use the stone on the Totem and come back down," Hex ordered.

"Hex, I can't-"

"Silence girl! Do as I say!" Hex ordered.

"Now just back off!" Palmar shouted, moving to stand in front of me. "You can't talk to her like that!"

"And who says I can't?" Hex demanded.

"Hex, I can't activate the Totem," I replied.

"Impossible. Everyone knows you are the one who can activate them. Now if you want to save this world, you will do as I say," Hex ordered.

I sighed and nodded, finding that arguing was causing a headache. I took the stone and moved up the many ledges with my friends following before coming upon the Totem. Part of me _really_ hoped that I would be able to activate it. Sadly, when placing the stone on the ancient Totem and placing my other hand on the Totem, nothing happened. There was no noise, no lights, no anything. I stepped back with a defeated sigh. We headed back down to Hex and handed over the stone.

"Excellent!" Hex said. "Now I have your power to... Why can't I feel anything from this stone?"

"Because I told you, I lost my power to Billy!" I said desperately.

"Urgh! You are of no use to me!" Hex shouted. "Get out of my sight!"

I sighed and left, not wanting to deal with Hex. I was confronted by Mandy, who was holding up a pillow.

"Here, use this on Billy," she said, handing the pillow over.

"A pillow? What good is that going to do?" Brent questioned.

"It's the Pillow of Common Sense," Mandy provided. "I found it in Grim's Chest one day. All you have to do is slap Billy with it and he will come to his sense and place the powers into the pillow. You then absorb it's power, and then you've got your power back."

"Thank you Mandy," I said. "But,... wouldn't you want the pillow and gain the power?"

"I thought about it," Mandy answered. "But I've decided to let you have them back because I would rather have you do all the work rather than me."

At least she was honest. I smiled appreciatively at her and made our way back to Endsville. It seemed Billy had yet to do anything with his new power and was simply bragging to Runty. With a deep breath, I whacked him on the head with the pillow.

"Owh! That really- Oh. I seem to have taken your power," Billy said. "Here. I'll give them back to you. It wasn't very nice of me to do so."

The pillow glowed a bright color as Billy transferred my stolen power back into it. The pillow then transferred the power back into me.

"Do you have your power back?" Trent asked.

"Only one way to find out. Where was the next Totem?" I asked.

"The Temple. Let's go," he said.

We headed to the Temple and quickly found the Totem. I reached out and touched the Totem, releasing my breath when I saw the Totem glow, the words sound in my head, and the hieroglyphs outline in orange. I stepped back and smiled at my friends, who grinned themselves.

"The Totem in Bluff is next. Only three more after that," Trent supplied as we made our way from the Infected Zone.

"We should try and be as discrete as possible so we don't tip off Hex that Alice is activating a Totem," Palmar advised.

We arrived back in Devil's Bluff and moved up to the top, away from Hex. We killed the Monster's trying to destroy it and I activated it, watching the hieroglyphs glow green. On our vehicles, we rode down the side of the hill and entered Nowhere, immediately searching for the Totem. Once found, I activated it and the hieroglyphs glowed yellow.

"We have to go all the way back to Downtown, and then back here to Area 51.5, and we'll be done," Trent informed.

"Then let's keep going and finish this. The Monster's are getting restless," Palmar said.

We hurried back to Steam Alley and killed the Monsters in our way before I activated the Totem there, watching the hieroglyphs glow black. I could feel the Totems working and glowing. I could feel their growing strength, waiting for the last to be activated so they could unleash their power. We hurried quickly back to Area 51.5 and found the Totem. I quickly activated it, the hieroglyphs glowing white. All the Totems began to hum and I could feel them glow. Several lights shot into the sky and began to manifest into a dome-like shape. The dome of light spread through the sky, creating a protective barrier that covered all of Earth. The Totems still glowed and hummed even after the light of the dome disappeared.

"That was incredible!" Brent cheered.

"I'll say. Great work Alice!" Gwen congratulated on my NanoCom. "I knew you could do it."

I blushed under the compliments and tried to shake them off. I was just doing my job.

* * *

"I have been informed by Miss Gwen Tennyson that Alice Spacebyte has activated the Totems set out across the world," Computress said. "I have also noticed a strange phenomenon in the sky."

"Well done Alice," Dexter congratulated from the window. A smile was on his face. "Well done."

* * *

Fuse sneered, having sensed the Totems come to life and form the shield. Fusion Alice stood beside him, quietly by his side like a loyal dog rather than a daughter.

"The Keltic girl is becoming more and more of a pest," he grounded out.

"Do you wish for me to destroy her father?" Fusion Alice asked.

"No, my dear. I do not require that of you. She will meet her end, in due time," Fuse sneered. "All in due time, she will _meet her end._"

* * *

**A/N: Ugh! The ending seems terrible to me. Still, I wanted to get this one done. I hope you all enjoyed.**

**Two more Nanos next chapter and we reunite with Viper and her gang! Yeah!**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	21. In the Wilds

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Thanks for your reviews of the last chapter. Guess what folks? Three past people are showing up again. Also, there's a reference to my side story here in the chapter. I'll explain it at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami. And I do not own iTunes. Seriously? Do I look like Steve Jobs? Nor am I George Lucas (you will figure this referrence out later).**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War

**Author:** AnimeGirl 144

**Chapter Twenty One:** In the Wilds

* * *

We stayed at Uncle and Aunt Bagge's house with Courage, Juniper, and Kevin for the rest of the week. It seemed with the Totems in place, everyone felt safer. Dexter had contacted us and congratulated us, giving us the time off. On the last night of our mini-vacation (as Brent fondly called it), we found ourselves around the dining table. Juniper and Kevin were trying to out-do each other in hero saving ("You're just a sidekick," Juniper argued, "while I'm a hero."; this earned a "Burn!" from Brent). Courage stayed on my lap, happily enjoying the company of the home while my aunt and uncle stayed in the living room, giving us "young people" our space.

We were called into the living room to watch the evening news; the only channel that was up and running was the KND Nightly News. With Numbuh One's and Numbuh Ten's consent, the TV channels were allowed to run it to adults and teenagers. Providence Base was attacked by two Fusions earlier that day and a disc with important information was stolen. I didn't recognize the female Fusion, but I did recognize the Fusion version of Holden. Surveillance failed after that, but Rex was a witness, stating that a Fusion version of myself came, fought, and killed the Fusion female. In the meantime, Fusion Holden had broken into Dexlabs and stole a disc. The two operatives that were reporting the news had no information on what the two discs held.

"Well that's weird," Juniper said. "What would Fuse want with discs?"

"Maybe he's trying to upload his iTunes?" Kevin joked terribly.

Courage hopped from one leg to the other by the staircase, making whining noises to grab our attention. He then proceeded up the staircase, myself, Palmar, Trent, and Juniper following. Kevin and Brent had gone off to the shed to check out his car. Courage led us to the attic that had nothing but a computer, chair, and desk. Courage sprinted up to the chair and sat on it and turned on the computer. The screen flickered and brightened as the computer turned itself on.

"Hello, stupid dog," the computer said. "To what do I owe this displeasure?"

Courage typed at his keyboard.

"So, we have company. Greetings, I am the Computer."

"A live, talking computer," Trent said with a massive hint of awe. I swore I thought I saw him drooling at the mouth. Courage typed at the keyboard, and following his movements, he was rewriting what Trent said.

"Yes. So glad you noticed," the Computer remarked with dry sarcasm. "Now why did you wake me? I was sleeping happily."

Courage began to type on the keyboard.

"Two discs? Why should I care if two discs were stolen?" the Computer remarked.

Courage looked frustrated and typed furiously at the keyboard.

"Very well, dog," the Computer snipped. "I shall look into what the discs held. One moment."

We stood in silence, waiting patiently for the Computer to return with the answer.

"Alright," the Computer said two minutes later. "I have discovered for you the information on the discs. It seems Dexlabs and Providence have been studying and keeping data and surveillance on a Fusion and Planet Fusion."

"What Fusion?" Palmar asked.

"A Fusion Alice," the Computer responded after Courage typed to him.

"Oh great," Brent sighed. "Her again."

"If you are all quite done with my intelligence and time, I am going back to my internet chess game with dexlab_computer001," the Computer said, turning off its screen.

"Well now we know what happened, who did it, and why they did it," Palmar commented.

"Will you go after her?" Juniper asked.

"No. She's probably back with Fuse on his planet," Trent responded. "It'd be pointless now."

"Probably," Juniper agreed with a nod.

"What do we do then?" I asked.

"Stay here till someone needs us," Palmar answered. "We need to save our energy until it's really needed.

So we stayed with my aunt and uncle for another few days before Mandy called us. She required our help. She needed us to go to the Ruins and defeat some Dagger Mantis. She believed they had a Fusion Scanner, and after defeating a few, we found one.

"How did Mandy...?"

"It's Mandy. You simply don't question her and how she knows," I responded.

We were directed from Mandy to head up to the upper corner of the Ruins and defeat some Necromashers. We needed to make some Necromasher Mash. After beating enough Monsters to make the mash, we then headed over to Fuzzy Lumpkin's house. Mandy didn't really explain why we needed to go to his house, but we followed her orders and found his house by Leaky Lake. Once there, we would need to distract him with the mash and run a scan. We approached his house carefully after seeing the "Stay Off the Propriety" sign. The sound of a musket being loaded made us freeze right as we got to the top of the hill.

"Didn' you read that there sign?" Fuzzy demanded, his musket pointed at us. "No trespassers allowed."

"We're very sorry Mr. Lumpkins," I began in hopes to appeal to his softer side. "We only wanted to give you this Necromasher Mash."

"Yer wha' now?" Fuzzy questioned, lowering his weapon.

I took out the mash and presented it to Fuzzy. He took one whiff and smiled.

"Mmm. Smells good," he complimented.

"We made it for you," I continued, holding it out a bit more so he could take it.

"Thanks!" he said, grabbing the mash and beginning to devour it.

I quickly scanned him while he was busy eating. We quickly said goodbye and ran from his property. We returned to Mandy and handed over the scanner.

"Good work," she replied stoically, moving to a computer console behind her. "These scans should mess with Fuse."

"How can you be sure?" Palmar questioned.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," she replied without turning to look at us.

Palmar looked ready to question further, but I stopped him. It was useless to argue against Mandy; she had her own agenda and was not going to deter away from it.

"Is there anything else you need from us Mandy?" I asked.

"No. See if Hoss needs your help," she dismissed us, working at the console.

We walked over to Hoss who was busy calling a giant spider (Jeff, if I remember Mandy saying). Upon noticing us, he directed his attention to us.

"What do you four weaklings want?" he questioned in his gruff voice.

"Weaklings?" Brent asked in indignation. "I'll have you know we've saved this Earth way more times than you."

"Is that so, shrimp?" Hoss demanded.

"Yeah!" Brent answered.

"Brent," I whispered hurriedly. "Don't get into a fight with him."

"Yes, listen to the girlie," Hoss said with a smug smirk on his face. "Small fries like you can't fight in this war."

Before my teammates could argue with him, my Nano Buttercup appeared.

"Small fries? Who are you calling small fries, bub?" Nano Buttercup demanded.

"And what are you little missy," Hoss questioned.

"I'm a Nano," Nano Buttercup replied. "And I'm way more powerful than you."

"Ha! You and what army?"

_Oh no._

Nano Buttercup smirked and that seemed all she needed to hear. She disappeared for a moment before returning... with all of my other Nanos appearing behind her. The Nanos glared at Hoss, who looked surprised. Before they could attack him, I placed a force-field bubble around them, stopping them.

"No," I said as firmly as I could. "You cannot fight anyone that is not a Fusion."

"Awh!" was the unified cry from my Nanos.

"Even if he deserves it?" my Nano Vilgax, surprisingly, asked.

"Can't I just take his eternal soul?" Nano Grim questioned hopefully.

"He _was_ insulting you," Nano Demongo pointed out.

The other Nanos agreed whole-heartedly, but I sighed and shook my head.

"No. We do not harm unless we absolutely _must_," I explained, "and this situation is not a _must._ Now back in the NanoCom."

Dejectedly but without arguing, the Nanos disappeared into my NanoCom one by one. Nano Swampfire stayed out last, trying to come up with a reason, but he stopped when I shook my head and just disappeared back into my NanoCom. Hoss was at a loss for words.

"Spacebyte, get over here," Mandy called.

"Sorry Mr. Delgado, but we must be going," I said politely, nodding my head in his direction and then Jeff's, who kindly returned my nod with a smile and a wave.

I turned away from Hoss and Jeff and headed back to where Mandy stood, pulling the boys with me. She explained to us that she needed our assistance again. Some Desert Clawdads were forming into armies, preparing to head for Downtown to attack. She wanted us to go and stop some of the Monsters. We quickly headed off to Area 51.5 and found some Clawdads forming up. We quickly took out eight of them before I noticed something drop to the ground. I picked it up and held it in my hand. It was a small totem.

"How strange," I murmured.

"Let's take it to Juniper," Palmar suggested. "She's good with these kinds of things."

We headed back into Nowhere and found Juniper outside on the porch, waiting for fighters to acquire missions. She smiled when she saw us.

"Hey guys. Got something for me?" she asked, her eyes having already darted to the object in my hand.

"It's a totem," I answered, handing it to her. Juniper took the totem and blinked. "It feels... alien."

"Oh they're alien alright. Some of the Monsters around here have been collecting these little things, but I have no idea why," Juniper explained. "I'll keep this one and see if I can find some things out. Courage and Gwen have been keeping in touch, so I'll see if she can help shed some light on these things."

We nodded in agreement before my NanoCom went off.

"Quit stalling and head back here immediately. I know who's behind this army set-up," Mandy said in her crisp, commanding voice before signing off.

Not wanting to anger Mandy, we went back to Devil's Bluff only to run into a surprise.

"Viper?" I asked. "Holden? Ace?"

"Alice," the trio greeted.

"Didn't expect to run into you here," Holden commented.

"Where did you three come from?" Palmar asked good naturedly.

"We were up by the Ruins," Ace answered, nodding in the direction of the Ruins. "Ran into a Fusion copy of Holden here."

"Yeah, we saw that on the news," Brent said.

Holden nodded. "Somehow, Fuse was able to steal something of mine from the girl's home when it was being raided."

"Well what happened?" Trent asked.

"We fought it, but it was stronger than we thought," Viper answered.

"Did you win?" Brent asked.

"No, not exactly. Fusion Alice came and gave a final blow," Ace answered.

"She then took his Fusion Matter and made it into an orb before joining it with her body," Holden continued. "I honestly thought we were going to have to fight her too, but then she left."

"That's strange," Trent muttered.

"Spacebyte!" Mandy barked, making all seven of us jump. "Get over here now."

"Yes Mandy?" I asked.

"Fusion Mandy is behind the Clawdad's forming an army. She's over in Really Twisted Forest," Mandy explained. "If you do this favor for me, I promise I won't forget it when the time comes."

"When the time comes for what?" I asked in confusion.

"Nothing. Just do as I say," Mandy replied.

"O-okay," I answered, turning back to my friends.

"'Nother Fusion?" Ace asked.

I nodded, not really needing to explain.

"We'll come with you. We need a good Fusion fight to get Fusion Holden out of our systems," Viper said with a grin.

"Sure," I said with a smile, nodding my head.

We used the Monkey Skyway system to get to Mount Blackhead and then Really Twisted Forest. Once there, we entered the Infected Zone. We began to look around for the Portal before coming across it. We were stopped, however, by Brackish Beasts. As we were fighting off some of the Monsters, Viper and I were able to step onto the Portal. Sensing my presence, it activated and dragged us under, without the boys. We then appeared underground.

"What just happened?" Viper asked, looking for her teammates.

"I stepped on the Portal without them," I answered. "You were the only one who was on the Portal with me, so you were taken in too."

"I see," Viper said with a nod. "Just like with getting into an Infected Zone."

"Yes," I said with a nod.

"Well, no time to cry over spilt milk. Let's go defeat this Fusion Mandy," Viper said with a confident smile.

I nodded and followed her. We defeated the ten Brackish Beasts that stood in our way before coming upon Fusion Mandy. I called upon Nano Bloo and had him use his _Bloo Glue_ to snare the Fusion. This allowed us to fight her at a farther range, while she was trapped in place. She could still throw her Fusion goo, but at our safe distance, we could dodge them easily. I then called on Nano Billy and had him use _Snot Rocket_. With the combined forces of my two Nano's and mine and Viper's weapons, we were able to take down Fusion Mandy. Her Fusion Matter turned into her Nano form which quickly disappeared into the NanoCom.

"That was fun," Viper said with a smirk.

I smiled and began heading for the Portal, but Viper stopped me. I looked back at her in question.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted back when we first met," Viper apologized. "I was really jealous."

"That's alright," I said quickly. I was a quick forgiver. "But what were you jealous of?"

"Dexter giving you attention," Viper answered. "But I know now he was only doing it because you're our only hope for saving this world."

"You're making me sound like Luke Skywalker," I said with a blush.

"But it's true. I've seen it twice now," Viper said before nodding. "You'll definitely win this war."

"Thank you," I said with honesty. I was really touched by her comments.

"And while you're off fighting these Fusions, me and my pals will be doing the little stuff," she continued.

"Everything is important," I quickly said.

She just smiled and shook her head.

"If you say so," she said. "C'mon. We need to get you back to your friends. They're awfully protective of you."

We stepped onto the Portal and off of it once we met daylight.

"Alice!" five male voices cried, followed by, "Viper!"

"Are you two alright?" Holden immediately asked.

"We're fine," Viper answered, waving off her teammate's concern.

"You sure?" Palmar questioned, looking me directly in the eyes.

I nodded and patted him on the arm reassuringly.

"I'm fine. And if I was hurt, you know my Nanos would have helped me," I said, hoping to calm him of his worry.

He nodded in consent.

"So you've got a new Nano?" Ace asked.

I nodded and called upon Nano Mandy. She appeared, hovering over my shoulder.

"She looks just as mean as her counterpart," Brent commented.

Nano Mandy sent a glare in his direction while I shook my head.

"Be nice to her," I advised.

"Just saying," Brent replied, although he did take a step back.

I shook my head again and returned Nano Mandy to the NanoCom. We exited the Infected Zone and returned back to Really Twisted Forest.

"Where will you be going now?" I asked.

"We're heading up into the Monkey Foothills," Viper began explaining. "Some Jordan Almond wants to join the Candy Pirates, so Grandpa asked if we could check it out."

"Good luck," we said.

"Hope to cross paths with you all again," I added with a smile.

"I'm sure we will," Viper said, holding out her hand.

I smiled and shook her hand. They left, and we headed back to Mount Blackhead to see if anyone there would need our help. No one did, but Numbuh Three invited us to a picnic under the Magic Tree and we couldn't decline. Despite the fact that a war was going on, I couldn't help but feel like it was peaceful in the Outpost.

That is, until the alarms started blaring, ruining the illusion.

The Kids Next Door operatives scrambled around and got into their battle positions with Numbuh Four calling the shots. I remember Numbuh Three gossiping with me about how terrible a leader Numbuh Four had been a long while back. It seemed the war had changed that quickly.

He ordered all gates to be closed and for all operatives to grab their 2x4 weapons and stand guard. The operatives obeyed without a second thought and soon the Outpost was bundled up tightly. Fighters that had come to rest and receive any missions to help fight the war stood on guard, waiting for Numbuh Four to call the command to shoot (though what little good it would do considering they had no real targets to shoot at the moment). Mac and Numbuh Three were shielding Coco while Ed ran around screaming that his kingdom was under attack.

"What's all this for?" Palmar asked over the settling silence.

"Some of Fuse's Monsters have been trying to get in the Outpost to steal Coco," Mac answered.

"That's terrible!" I exclaimed.

"Do you know why?" Trent questioned, though his fist was securely holding onto his Super Scope Dragon.

"No clue," Mac answered with a grave look on his face. "Out of the blue his Monsters had attacked and almost took her. We were able to stop them."

"Perhaps it has something to do with her abilities?" I questioned, remembering that Coco could make almost anything come out of her eggs.

"Possibly," Mac said with a nod.

_**Or it has something to do with the fact that she is an Imaginary Friend?**_

_But what of the other Friends?_

_**I am unsure. I am only making a guess. The only way we'll ever know is if we confront Fuse himself and question him on it. But by the time that time comes, we will have other issues on our hands.**_

"Everyone stand down!" Numbuh Four ordered, pulling me out of my inner conversation. "The threat is gone."

"Is it like this all the time?" I asked.

"Sometimes three times a day," Mac answered. "It just started, which is why we give out missions to kill as many of the Monsters around this place."

"Do you want us to help?" Brent asked.

"Cococo cococo cocococo," Coco said.

"Some of the Grime Serpents have been getting aggressive. Coco was hoping you could get rid of some of them," Mac requested.

"No problem," Palmar said with a nod. "We'll handle this."

"Thanks guys," Mac said with a smile.

"No worries," Brent said with a grin.

We left the Outpost and made our way to the Really Twisted Forest, entering the Infected Zone and defeating some of the Grime Serpents. After defeating a few of the Serpents, we received a call from Ed.

"You knowith. I believith I sawith a weird birdie looking like Mac's friend in the Zone," Ed said.

"A Fusion," Palmar muttered.

"Here in the Zone," Trent added.

"Let's go Fusion hunting," Brent said with a grin.

We found the Portal and entered it, moving along the underground lair to find Fusion Coco, defeating all and any Monsters in our way, barely getting a scratch. Fighting them for as long as we have has left us with experience against the Monsters. Once we came upon the Fusion, we didn't hesitate to attack. She turned and advanced on us, intent on hitting us and causing bodily harm. She was surprisingly strong and was able to scratch my arm with her foot. Nano Numbuh One seemed to have known that I was hurt because he appeared out of the NanoCom and used his healing abilities. The scratch on my arm healed, as did my clothing which seemed to re-stitch itself. We killed the Fusion and it crumbled into Fusion Matter before turning into a Nano version of Coco. The Nano hovered around my head excitedly before entering the NanoCom.

"That's one energetic Nano," Brent commented.

"I think she was rather cute," I commented with a smile.

"Let's head back to the Jungle Outpost and inform the others we've gotten rid of the Fusion," Palmar said.

We left the Portal and left the Zone, coming to the Outpost and informing the others that Fusion Coco was taken care of. They smiled happily and we stayed over the night and into the next morning. The Monsters seemed to have stopped their attack on the Outpost. Perhaps it was Fusion Coco leading the Fusions to attack the Outpost.

The rest of the afternoon was left to us and we were given the day off. The boys found themselves talking with some of the recruits while I opted for some quiet time (too little girls to talk to). I sat myself at the base of the Magic Tree and rested against it (after asking if it was alright to, of course). A tiny breeze blew by, adding a cool feeling that moved past me. I could hear my Nanos exit the NanoCom, many of them sitting themselves on me or beside me. It left me feeling calm and safe as I closed my eyes and allowed myself to rest.

* * *

**A/N: One day I'll get the hang of these endins. ^^**

**Anyways, hope it was a good chapter. The story that I was referring to was my **_**Fusions**_** story. Read it to understand the reference to the Fusions. Sorry that Viper and the gang had a little part in here. They'll return at the end of this story.**

**What's happening next time you ask? Why it's a Nano story. It focuses on the Nanos, so I can't wait for that!**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	22. The Nanos

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Super excited to begin writing my new chapter. This one will hopefully center around the Nanos with a little bit of Alice. This will be the second 3rd person chapter in the whole story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Two:** The Nanos

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter sat at his computer screen with a concentrated look upon his face. Plans to upgrade his mecha were splayed to the side of him over a dashboard. His main focus was on the screen, which had blue prints of the 17 Nanos he had scanned on one page, and Alice on another. He knew by now she must have gained more Nanos, but he was using the current data he had on them to understand the little things better. As far as he knew, no one really knew what a Nano was beside the simple fact that when Alice beats a Fusion, it turns into a Nano. Nothing special; rather a basic understanding. Dexter hated basic understanding. He wanted to get a full, in-depth understanding of what was occurring and what made the Nanos so special.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

The Nanos sensed something was wrong with their Alice (they could not decide on if they should call her mistress or owner so they opted with her name until they could figure out which one) as she laid against the Magic Tree. They were very in tuned with their Alice and could sense when she needed them. It was how they knew when she was scared and needed protection; how she'd be sad and they'd appear to comfort her. They knew her limits, physical and energy wise.

After having completed a mission not too long ago, three Fusions had acted up and demanded Alice's attention, sending her and her team back out to defeat the likes of Fusion Mac, Fusion Numbuh Three, and Fusion Hex. After attaining the three new Nanos, the team returned to the Outpost exhausted, and Alice laid herself against the tree and fell asleep, leaving her Nanos to once again take their place around her. It was now that they realized she was not right.

It was how all the gathered Nanos knew that their Alice was hurting as she laid quietly. It wasn't too serious; she was stressed and tired and she was now sick. They didn't even need to feel her forehead to know she was sick. With a unanimous decision, Nano Dexter and Nano Mandark went off in search of one of her friends, because they were unsure if the Healing Nanos could cure her.

It was rather easy to find Palmar, but still the Nanos hesitated. They never really cared for her travel companions because their main concern was always Alice and they distrusted anyone close to her that wasn't a blood relative. But at the moment, they needed the larger people to care for her, and of the three she traveled with, Palmar was the best choice.

"Palmar!" the two Nanos called. "We need your assistance."

"With what?" Palmar asked, masking his surprise. It was well known that the Nanos could barely stand anyone other than Alice, so he was shocked to see the two Nanos talking to him, though he could tell that they were rather reluctant.

"With Alice," Nano Mandark answered, his tiny voice beginning to reveal his dwindling patience.

"She is sick and we need your help to provide her care," Nano Dexter continued.

"How do you know she's sick?" Palmar questioned, recalling that she had looked perfectly fine earlier.

The two Nanos shared an equally annoyed look with Palmar, and the young leader wondered briefly if the real Mandark and Dexter would die of shock at how well these two worked together. He expected them to be at each other's throats, yet here they were, acting as if they were close friends reaching a common goal. He shoved the thought away and sighed, giving a nod to the Nanos to indicate 'okay, I'm coming.' The two zoomed off without hesitance, leaving Palmar to try and catch up.

He found the Nanos loyally surrounding his fallen friend. He would have argued that she was sleeping peacefully until he noticed the uneven breath intakes and how her forehead sweat even though she was not in the sun and that there was a cool breeze blowing through. The Nanos stared at him with guarded expressions, allowing him to step closer to his ill friend and confirm the suspicions. He placed his palm on her forehead and his mouth formed a grim line. She had a fever, and from the feel of it, a pretty high one too. He bent down and picked her up into his arms and carried her to the small house that was theirs for the stay. The Nanos followed, helping to open the door (it took Nano Fourarms and Nano Swampfire to open it). After removing her shoes, he laid her under the bed and pulled it to her chin, heading off to grab a bowl of water and a wash rag. When he returned, he found the Nanos circling her.

He dipped the towel and placed it on her forehead, watching her face twist in discomfort before relaxing to the feel. He stepped back and watched as the Nanos sat on her bed, staring at her intensely. They were concerned, he could see, and he had noticed that they had been watching every little move he did. No doubt they wanted to learn on how to take care of their girl. He bent down and gently tapped the top of Nano Numbuh Two's head. The little Nano turned and looked at him in startlement, as if he had forgotten of Palmar's existence.

"I'm entrusting you guys to watch over her. If it seems like she's getting worst, don't hesitate to come get us, okay? We'll take care of her," Palmar said.

Nano Numbuh Two nodded curtly before turning back to her. Palmar stood up and left the Nanos to their assigned job, informing her other friends that she was sick and would be resting; don't disturb her lest you wish to upset the Nanos.

Arthena appeared out of Alice's body and stared down at her young charge's sleeping body. She knew much about the Keltic physiology. Their immune system was stronger than a human's, making it easier for them to avoid common colds and such. It was the reason why Alice never caught a cold, even when half her class was coughing up lungs she was perfectly healthy. However, this did not exclude the Keltic to not get sick. If the virus or bacteria was strong enough, it could move past the immune system and wreak havoc on the body, much like the flu did to humans. If under stress or pressure, or if the body is not taken care of or well rested, the body will get sick, demanding that the body rest so it may heal itself and fight whatever intruder entered its body. Keltics, to rid their body of the intruder, would rest until they were positive that the thing was gone. Arthena has no doubt Alice would be asleep the rest of the day, allowing her body to regenerate.

She turned her attention to the Nanos, who glanced at her briefly before turning their attention back to Alice. The Knirit had no doubt that they would stay out of their NanoCom all day and night if it meant protecting Alice from further harm. They were special, she knew. The very fact that they could see her without her needing to materialize her image was impressive. She had also noticed that if Alice called upon Nanos, only three could come out. Yet here all of them were. It puzzled even her, but she decided to let it slip out of her mind. It did not matter, so long as they were there to assist Alice. Arthena returned back into Alice's body, leaving the Nanos to protect Alice physically while Arthena strengthened herself for the psychological attacks.

The Nanos all sat together, huddled around their fallen Alice. They sat shoulder to shoulder, not afraid to touch the other one. Even the Nanos coming from the DNA of their villainous counterparts sat with the hero Nanos, like Nano Mojo and Nano Bubbles. They held no prejudice towards the other; they may be like their counterpart, but that did not make them that. They all cared for Alice, so it was what bonded them together.

They enjoyed being on the outside, though that wasn't to say that the NanoCom was bad. It simply meant that they wanted to be out and with Alice as much as possible so that they could defend her. They knew her power, but that did not mean that they couldn't worry for her. They cared for her deeply, and deep within them, they had the strong desire to protect Alice from any harm.

"She'll be okay," Nano Buttercup comforted Nano Numbuh Three, who looked ready to burst into tears.

"Yeah, this is just something small," Nano Vilgax added with Nano Megas nodding behind him.

Some of the Nanos didn't look convinced, still concerned for their fallen Alice. Not able to take it anymore, Nano Mandy floated up higher than the others and glared down at where they all sat.

"Alright, I've had about enough of this pity party," Nano Mandy said. "Our Alice is strong, meaning we are too! Healing Nanos, front and center."

Nano Eduardo, Nano Numbuh One, Nano Grim, and Nano Numbuh Three floated up to where Nano Mandy commanded them to be. Still glaring at them with authority, she pointed down at the sleeping Alice.

"Use your abilities together on her," Nano Mandy ordered.

"But... but she's not injured," Nano Numbuh Three argued lamely.

"Not physically, no, but with your combined abilities, she'll be able to heal faster, waking her up sooner so all of us will stop worrying," Nano Mandy reasoned.

Smiling because they understood completely, the four Nanos hovered over to Alice's sleeping form and performed their abilities. After giving her a boost in health, the four Nanos moved back and away from the sleeping alien.

"I'm sorry to ask, but did it work?" Nano Wilt asked.

No one answered the other Nano, though they all smiled because deep down they knew that it had worked and that their Alice would be awake at any moment. With their fears quelled, the Nanos broke off into groups to play games or chat (though the Nanos with Damage abilities or Stun were placed closest to the door while the Healers were by Alice). Like loyal dogs or soldiers, they stayed by their Alice to ensure her speedy recovery while still acting like children as they played games to ease their nerves. When games bored them, they hovered back to the bed and cuddled beside the sleeping figure.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"Remarkable!" Dexter exclaimed in surprise.

"Is something the matter, Dexter?" Computress asked as she strolled over to Dexter.

"I've finally made a breakthrough in the Nano Case," Dexter answered. "After checking their DNA codes over and over, I've found several DNA encodings within them."

"Continue," Computress said.

"The first is Fusion DNA; they obviously contain Fusion Matter within them since Alice reports that this is how they are formed. Second, a host DNA. Take Alice's Nano Blossom for instance; the Nano contains the DNA of Blossom because the Fusion had taken the DNA off of her bow and so it was now transferred to Nano Blossom. Or in another case, Nano Swampfire's case, where it needed the combination of Ben's and Gwen's DNA to combine together," Dexter explained.

"What about Nanos Demongo and Megas. If I recall from my memory banks correctly, Nano Demongo was formed from the Fusion Scotsman and Nano Megas by Fusion Coop," Computress questioned.

"I have yet to identify that reasoning, but there is more," Dexter said, and a giddy smile appeared on his face. "I have discovered another DNA code within the Nano's DNA structure. And it is universal throughout them."

"And that is?" Computress questioned.

"Alice."

"Miss Alice Spacebyte?"

"Yes," Dexter said with a wider grin. "Something about Alice's code inscription on their DNA is not only universal, but it is actually keeping the DNAs of both Fusion and their Earth counterpart in check."

"But what of the Fusions?" Computress asked.

"I do not know. I have no specimen to work with," Dexter admitted. "But this is remarkable! These Nanos have a little part of Alice within them, and who knows what they can do! This would explain her connection to them and why she is able to know their abilities before they show them."

Computress nodded, "Will you present this information to her?"

Dexter nodded, "Of course I will. She deserves to know this as much as I or anyone else does."

"What does this mean, Dexter?" Computress questioned.

"It means we have a better chance in this war, Computress," Dexter answered with a victorious smile. "It means we can have a greater hope for our victory against Fuse."

* * *

**A/N: I was hoping for a better chapter with the Nanos, but I didn't know what else to write for it. Anyways, I hope this revelation makes sense. Sorry that it's shorter than my other chapters.**

**I hate Biology, so hopefully I got the DNA stuff down (because I don't want to look them up again).**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Only eight more chapters to go till I finish this. I'm excited to write the ending because it'll be action packed (hopefully).**

**What's happening next time you ask? Return of a space hero mentioned earlier on in this chapter and I can't wait for it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	23. A Crash Landed Spaceship

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Glad some of you found the last chapter cute. I loved the Nanos. We have eight more chapters (including this chapter) to go before the end of the story and we're moving to (what-I-hope-to-be) an amazing battle! But without further adieu, we're off to this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Three:** A Crash Landed Spaceship

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

I woke up to find my buddy practically crushed by my Nanos. When they realized I was awake, they placed all their attention on me. Their combined weights holding me down was enough to keep me moving from my bed. They wouldn't let me out the rest of the day and went so far as to create a line in front of the door. I had to give in and allowed the Nanos to provide me with food as I was held captive in the room. My friends and the operatives that populated the Outpost tried to get into the room, but my Nanos refused to let them in no matter how much they demanded and I pleaded. I couldn't hold it against them and allowed them to hold me "prisoner" in the room as the afternoon turned to night. As I prepared for bed, a loud booming sound sounded in the atmosphere, startling me and from the looks of it, the Nanos.

I heard no rushing outside, meaning no one thought it was a big deal. Perhaps they thought that it had been someone hitting the side of their mini homes? But I recognized that sound. Since my mother used to work at the Hospital across from the Space Port, I would often be able to watch the shuttles and rockets launch from the Port, and I would watch them land on the television screens. I was able to recognize that the booming sound was something entering the atmosphere. I went to sleep that night troubled, wondering if it was a controlled entry or an uncontrolled entry. Had a satellite been shot down by Fuse? Had the Kids Next Door's Moonbase been able to get a ship to come to Earth safely? Was it something else I had no idea about? These thoughts troubled me and made my mind whirl before it tired me out and I fell asleep with my Nanos circling me, adding a sense of protection and possessiveness.

When I woke the next morning, I was able to get my Nanos back into the NanoCom with little resistance (surprisingly, it was my villain Nanos that were the hardest to persuade). When they were back in my NanoCom, I quickly readied myself for the day and went off in search of my friends, who were undoubtedly worried. I was able to find my traveling friends and my Outpost friends eating breakfast at a picnic table. I was barely able to bid them a good morning before I felt myself practically tackled into a hug by the Twins and Numbuh Three. All three were babbling about how happy they were to see me and that I was able to get away from my Nano captors. After some persuasion from Palmar, I was able to sit on the bench next to Coco.

"Did any of you hear that booming sound last night?" Mac asked.

"How couldn't we?" Brent questioned.

"It was loud enough to be heard from across the world," Trent inputted.

"Wonder what it was," Mac commented.

"Probably some idiot hitting a dodge ball against a wall," Numbuh Four replied.

"Neyh! I allowst no one to play dodge ball at night!" Ed proclaimed, still in his kingly role. I still contemplated bringing Double-D to the Outpost just so he could cure Ed of this silliness, but I decided against it. More pressing matters needed to be attended to.

"It sounding like something was entering the atmosphere," I piped up.

"More of Fuse's legions?" Palmar asked.

I shook my head.

"No. This was louder. It sounded like when a shuttle or rocket entered the atmosphere," I replied.

"KND then?" Palmar questioned, looking at Numbuh Three and Numbuh Four.

"Nah. We would have known," Numbuh Four answered. "Though, that would be nice if it was. Could use more help."

"So what could it be?" Trent mused to himself, though the question had everyone minus Ed wondering it.

I went for my NanoCom, hoping that maybe Dexter knew. I was a bit surprised to discover that it was turned off except for my Nano function. Somehow, my little Nanos knew how to deactivate all my other NanoCom functions except the one linked to them. Silently chiding them in my mind (they were acting like children from time to time), I re-activated my NanoCom fully, and wasn't surprised to see an email from Dexter that demanded I respond immediately (I ignored his other 10 messages from him). I called him and placed my NanoCom on the table with the speaker on, and instead of a picture on the screen, a projection of Dexter appeared.

"Finally I am able to get in touch with you Alice," Dexter said with a sigh. "I have been trying since yesterday afternoon!"

"I'm sorry. My Nanos had shut off all functions except the one related to them," I answered sheepishly.

Dexter looked ready to say something but he shook his head and sighed.

"Never mind," he muttered. "I have an important assignment for you to do."

"Assignment? What are we, agents now?" Brent joked.

Dexter ignored him and continued on, "Last night, Ben reported to me that a spacecraft crash landed somewhere near Nowhere. I'm suspecting Area 51.5."

"How does Ben know this?" Palmar questioned.

"His grandfather, a well-known Plumber, gave him a device that acted as a tracker for any incoming or going out space crafts. Being that he was near the Space Port, his grandfather thought it would be best. He picked up that the craft had entered Earth's atmosphere, though he does not know anything about it beyond that," Dexter explained. "Your mission is to go out and find the craft. When you find it, alert me immediately and I will send out a crew to pick it up."

"On it," I answered.

He nodded in thanks and ended the transmission.

"Why can't he just do it himself?" Brent questioned as we left the Outpost.

"Because he's needed more in Tech Square and because we've been told to do so," Trent replied.

"It won't be bad," I said, trying to liven the mood. "We can see my aunt and uncle, Courage, Kevin, and Juniper again too."

The boys shrugged, not looking like they were excited to see our friends. Once out of the Outpost, we hopped on our vehicles and headed into Area 51.5. The crash hadn't occurred in the Infected Zone, so we moved along the sides to find the crash. There were not many monsters out, most possibly do to other fighters in the war coming to the area and killing them off. As we neared the shoreline, I noticed something glinting in my peripheral vision. We headed in its direction and as we got closer, we saw the outlines of Juniper and Kevin. They heard us and turned their attention to us.

"Hey guys," Kevin greeted with a grim tone.

"So this is the spaceship?" Brent questioned. "It's pretty small."

"Look at the technology of it!" Trent said, standing close to the spacecraft and examining it with stars in his eyes. "It seems so far advanced for our modern times."

"Stop drooling over it big bro," Brent complained as he rolled his eyes.

"Is someone in it?" I asked.

"We think so. We were just about to get it open when you guys showed up," Juniper answered.

"Carry on then," Palmar said with a beckon of his hand.

Kevin mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn't tell, as he moved closer to the spaceship. He touched the craft and absorbed its material, then began to look for an opening. Once he found one, be began to lift with Juniper's help. My Nano Fourarms appeared out of the NanoCom and scoffed.

"They look like they can use some help," he said, looking at me for approval.

I sighed quietly and nodded, watching my Nano smile in glee and fly over to where the two teens were and began to help them lift. With their combined strengths, they were able to open the craft. My Nano returned to the NanoCom as we crowded around the opened spacecraft. Inside were three people. One was a human girl, one was a green-skinned alien, and the other was a robot. All seemed to be knocked out.

"Who are these guys?" Kevin questioned.

"We can't worry about that now. Let's get them back to the Bagge residence so we can get them to a hospital," Juniper said.

The boys took the three members of the spacecraft and headed back to the house. Juniper and I stayed behind to look over the spaceship. What had caused it to enter the atmosphere without a warning to Max who was in charge of the coming-and-going of rockets and such. As Juniper checked inside, I moved around the outside and noticed green matter against the engines. I bent down and reached out to touch it. I recognized it immediately as Fusion Matter, but as I touched it, I felt a strong reaction to the alien matter and pulled back my hand with a hiss of pain. Juniper had heard it and came to my side.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Y-yes," I answered. "I'm fine. It just stung."

"Fusion Matter," Juniper muttered as she stared at the green goo. "It looks strong."

"Fuse must have attacked them," I suggested.

Juniper nodded in agreement.

"Let's head back to your aunt's house and see if we can get them awake," the other girl said.

I nodded in agreement, and she helped me up. We headed back to my aunt and uncle's house, arriving and finding Courage curled on the porch. He jumped in excitement when he saw us and quickly ushered us inside. Everyone was in the living room.

"Where are the people from the spacecraft?" I asked once we were inside.

"Your aunt is taking care of them upstairs," Kevin answered.

"They're doing fine but I'll need Eustace to drive them to the Hospital," Muriel said as she came down the stairs. "They need professional help."

"Right dear," Eustace said, getting up to grab his keys.

"Kevin dear, could you give me a hand?" Muriel asked.

"Of course Mrs. Bagge," Kevin responded.

"Thank you dear. Could someone grab the spare blankets and put them in the back?" Muriel asked.

"I'll take care of it," I spoke up.

"Thank you dear," she said before heading back upstairs.

I quickly went to the closet that held the spare blankets and set them in the back of the truck. My uncle was already turning on the truck, and thankfully, Kevin was able to fix the engine earlier on so it was running without problem. Kevin and my aunt came down with the three people from the spacecraft and gently placed them on the bed of the truck, strapping them in. Both my aunt and uncle got in the truck and left, leaving us at the house.

"I hope they get better," I muttered to myself.

"We should call this in to Dexter and Ben. They'll want to know," Palmar spoke up.

I nodded and brought out my NanoCom, immediately calling up Dexter and Ben. Both were surprised by what we discovered but none more so than Dexter who was able to provide identification to them. They were Galactic Guardians, an interstellar law enforcement that was set up to provide peace. The human was Atomic Betty, the green skinned alien was Sparky, and the robot was X-5. They were sent to assist in the war, but now thanks to Fuse, it seemed they were unable to. I told them where my aunt and uncle were taking them and Ben nodded. He'd be able to keep an eye on them since he was so close.

"Great. More people down," Kevin remarked, running a hand through his hair.

"We can still manage," Palmar said.

"Yeah. Fuse still hasn't managed to get through and take over, and we've been knocking his Monsters left and right," Brent said.

"And with those Totems activated, I doubt Fuse will be able to attack us head on," Trent added.

"Things are looking up for us," Juniper contributed with a smirk.

I offered them a feeble smile and turned to look up at the sky. Planet Fusion was still viewable. My smile fell and my fingers curled into fists out of reflex. A hand on my shoulder made me look to find Palmar staring at me. I offered a smile and quickly shook off my nerves.

"So now what? We've got the whole house to ourselves," Brent said.

"Oh no you don't," I said, stepping up. "This is my aunt and uncle's house; let's not destroy it or anything."

"So no party?" Brent asked.

I sighed and shook my head.

"No party."

"Darn," Brent said with a sigh. "Well, what else can we do for entertainment?"

"Relaxing, is one thing," Trent said.

"I know it's been rather hectic for you guys, but can I ask you a favor?" Juniper asked.

"Sure," I answered.

"Thanks. So I've been studying this totem some kids brought to me. I found out it's the Totem of Ectonurite, from the planet Anurphaetos," Juniper began to explain.

"How'd you find that out?" Trent asked.

"I have my resources," Juniper answered.

"She means me, Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max," Kevin cut in, earning an elbow in the rib by Juniper.

"Anyways, it seems the planet has magic, meaning the totem must have some too. I'm not sure how powerful it is, but it needs to stay out of Fuse's hands. However, there's a problem. It's one part of a trio," she explained.

"You mean two more are on our planet and they're missing?" Palmar asked.

"They're not exactly missing, but I've pinpointed their location in the Fireswamps," Juniper answered.

"The what swamps?" Brent asked.

"Seriously Brent, don't you pay attention to geography class?" Trent questioned.

"What a stupid question Trent. You know I don't pay attention in class period," Brent snipped back.

"Both of you shut up," Juniper snapped. "Now then, I need you four to head to the Fireswamps and collect those two. Here's the Totem of Ectonurite. You guys hold on to it," she said, handing over the small totem to me. I placed it away.

"We'll take care of it Juniper," I said.

"I know you guys will. Take care," she said with a confident smile.

"Be sure to hurry back because I don't want to have to explain to your aunt and uncle why you're off in the Darklands," Kevin said.

"We will," I replied, bending down to hug Courage, whispering, "Be safe."

Courage whined a little and reluctantly stepped away. The four of us quickly went to the Skyway Monkey and headed for Mount Blackhead. We walked to the SCAMPER operative, Numbuh 609. When we asked if he could take us to the Darklands, he agreed. After a rather long trip, we arrived on Mandark's flying airship. The minute we stepped off I felt a familiar presence nearby; an alien was close. We moved up the ramps and saw two figures standing before a number of lined robots. The robots didn't seem to be moving, but they looked ready for battle.

"You must be Alice Spacebyte," a voice said. A diamond-like alien walked towards us. "My name is Tetrax. I am a friend of Ben."

"And I am Jack," the man dressed as a samurai said. "It is an honor to meet you." He bowed at us.

"The honor is all ours," I said, matching his bow. "These are my friends, Palmar Whitts, Trent Gemini, and Brent Gemini."

"We do not have many fighters come to the Darklands, so what has brought you here?" Tetrax asked.

"Juniper Lee sent us. Two totems are at the Fireswamps, and we have to get them before Fuse gets his hands on them," I answered.

"Two totems?" Tetrax repeated.

"Yes; she already gave us the Totem of Ectonurite," I answered. "It seems it's part of a trio."

"Yes, the Toteom of Loboan and the Totem of Viktor," Tetrax answered. "They are powerful items, whether alone or together. They cannot fall into Fuse's hands."

"That was the energy reading then?" Jack questioned Tetrax, who nodded.

"You already know where they are," Tetrax said to us. "I suggest moving swiftly; if the Monsters discover that they're there, we will be in trouble."

"Understood," Palmar said. "Let's go."

"Keep in contact with us, and we will do what we can to assist you from here," Tetrax said in parting.

We headed off the airship and along the trail through Forsaken Valley and into the Fireswamps. I was able to sense out their powers without the use of my NanoCom; I felt a pull towards them due to their alien origins. As we were nearing the first totem, Tetrax appeared on my NanoCom.

"Alice. I have grave news. The Magma Hulks have the Totem of Viktor in their possession," Tetrax informed.

"Don't worry Tetrax dude, we're close by so we can get the totem before they get away," Brent comforted.

"I think I see which Hulk has it," Trent pointed out, staring into the distance.

I looked up and felt the pull even stronger. Palmar and the boys switched out their weapons for their other weapons; I haven't used my weapon in a long time. A group of Magma Hulks were heading north, surrounding the Hulk in the middle with the Totem of Viktor. We quickly ran over to the group and Trent and Brent, using a Noxious Tin Mine and Sunny Side Bomb respectively, threw their Thrown-type weapons at the Magma Hulks, getting their attention. The twins switched their weapons back and began to fire at the Monsters while Palmar went for one with his Valerion Sword and I going for the Magma Hulk with the totem. I stayed out of range from the Magma Hulk's fists while simultaneously moving it away from its group. I sent energy balls at the Monster and was able to turn it into Fusion Matter. I grabbed the totem and placed it with the other totem and walked back to my teammates, finding that they've already taken care of the rest of the group.

"Got it?" Brent asked.

I nodded, already searching out for the other Totem. Before I could find it, Tetrax reappeared on my NanoCom.

"More bad news, I am afraid," Tetrax began. "The Totem of Loboan is in the clutches of the Tar Titans."

"We're in luck since they'll be coming this way," Palmar said.

As he said this, a group of Tar Titans appeared. Brent shot his Bio-Plasma Cannon, and it caused the Titans to scatter at the scare. We quickly moved in and turned them to Fusion Matter, gaining the other totem.

"Great work you guys," Juniper congratulated over the NanoCom. "But now you need to go to Monkey Mountain. There's a Fusion in there that is commanding those Monsters."

"Right," I said with a nod.

"We'll head to the shore of Forsaken Valley," Palmar advised. "Some fighters said there's a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. there that takes people from the shores of Monkey Foothills to Forsaken Valley and vice versa."

"Let's hope it's true," Trent said.

"Yeah, that'll make it easier to get there," Brent added.

We moved back to Forsaken Valley and Dinosaur Pass and came to the shoreline of the Valley. At a wooden dock was a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and its pilot, awaiting passengers. He smiled when he saw us and stepped forward.

"Need a lift?" he asked.

"It'd be appreciated," Palmar said.

"Hope in," he said, sliding the side door open.

We climbed in and he took off, dropping us off at the shorelines of Monkey Foothills. We thanked him and headed for the Mountain, getting a call from Ben on the way over to the Mountain. He told us to give the totems to Agent Hoffner who would be waiting outside of the Mountain's Infected Zone. We came upon the SACT agent and handed over the totems. He thanked us and quickly headed off for Townsville Park to give Max the totems for safe keeping. We entered the Infected Zone and began to seek out the Fusion Lair. It was rather easy to find and after using the platforms, we stepped on the Portal and entered the Fusion's lair. We moved through the lair, killing the Magma Hulks that were in our way, and came upon the Fusion; Fusion Juniper Lee. Nano Demongo appeared out of the NanoCom and used _Demon's Fire_ against the Fusion, getting the Fusion's attention.

It rounded on us and attacked, making us get away from it. Fusion Juniper Lee sent her Matter Balls at us, just barely hitting us as we dodged. It sent more eruption attacks than Fusions before it, and we had to dodge quickly. Nano Edd appeared out of the NanoCom and used his _Sugar Rush_, causing the Fusion to slow down in movement. This gave us a better opportunity to fire at it, turning it into Fusion Matter. Nano Juniper Lee appeared hovering in front of me, smiling as she did a few martial arts moves before disappearing into my NanoCom.

"She's a fiery Nano," Trent commented as we regrouped.

"She'll be a great addition," Brent added with a grin.

"We need to leave," Palmar stated, heading for the Portal.

"We know the routine by now," Brent commented dryly as we left the Fusion's lair.

We were out of the Infected Zone when the NanoCom went off. It was Jack.

"Your assistance is required," he said. "Numbuh Four has informed me that the Outpost is starting to be infected, and they have traced the Fusion Matter coming from Forsaken Valley. I have discovered the Lizard Kings in the Firepits who are helping to spread it from the Dark Tree by digging up the Matter."

"We're on it," Palmar stated.

We returned to the Darklands and headed for the Firepits, coming across the Lizard Kings and immediately beginning to fire at them. After getting rid of nine Lizard Kings, Jack appeared on the NanoCom screen.

"Good work. Now go to the Dinosaur Pass' Infected Zone," Jack said. "I believe the Monsters are working for a Fusion, and that Fusion is in the zone."

"Right," we said with a nod.

"Let's go bust another Fusion!" Brent cheered.

As if hearing what Brent said, Nano Buttercup appeared from the NanoCom.

"Oh yeah! Fusion creep, here we come!" Nano Buttercup said.

Nano Juniper appeared, grinning.

"Sweet! I can show off my moves on it," Nano Juniper cheered, performing some of her said moves.

Nano Fourarms appeared and began to flex.

"I'm more than ready to take on a Fusion," he said.

I sighed under my breath while Brent chuckled.

"You three," I said to my Nanos who turned and looked at me obediently, "please go back into the NanoCom."

"Yes Alice," the three said, quickly returning to the NanoCom.

We entered the Dinosaur Pass Infected Zone and observed the area.

"Man this will be tough," Trent muttered as we watched the bones move.

"And of course the lair is up there," Brent commented as he stared in the direction of the lair.

I could have flown them up to the lair, but before I could offer, my Nano Prof. Utonium appeared.

"I can help," he said with a smile.

"How?" Brent asked.

"I can give you all a boost when you jump," Nano Utonium said. "You'll be able to jump higher."

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," Nano Wilt said as he appeared. "But it is quite fun to jump higher."

"Will it be enough to get on the bones?" Palmar asked.

"Of course," Nano Utonium said.

"That's good enough for me then," Palmar said with a nod, heading up the skeleton head of the dinosaur.

We followed after him, and with the help of Nano Utonium, the four of us were able to move along the bone platforms and land on the Fusion's Lair Portal. I thanked Nano Utonium and Nano Wilt (the latter wanted to make sure we were taken care of in case something were to happen) and sent them back to the NanoCom. We entered the lair and began to move through the lair, killing more Lizard Kings that came in our way. We found Fusion Numbuh Four stalking from one side to the other repeatedly. Before we could open fire on it, the Fusion turned and sent multiple Matter Balls our way, hitting us and sending us back. I cringed at the pain in my shoulder and tried to look at my teammates when I suddenly felt like I was frozen in place. I couldn't move any part of my body san my eyes and I watched as Fusion Numbuh Four advanced on us. Before it could get closer, three of my Nanos appeared from the NanoCom: Nano Mojo Jojo, Nano Grim, and Nano Blossom. I was able to move and I no longer felt any pain in my shoulder. The Fusion was frozen in place thanks to Nano Blossom's _Ice Breath_. Nano Grim had healed us with his _Heebie Jeebie Jolt_ while Nano Mojo was protecting us from the Fusion stunning us again with his _Jojo Juggernaut_.

I quickly stood up and sent an energy wave at the Fusion, sending it into the wall behind it. The Fusion shook off the stun attack and launched at me, moving faster than I expected and punched me in the face. I fell to the ground and felt a shield surround me, but it wasn't my own. It was from my Nano Mojo; Fusion Numbuh Four had tried to stun me again and was stopped by my Nano Mojo's powers. The shield fell and I sent another energy wave at the Fusion, pushing it back. The Fusion snarled and lunged at me again. I sent up a force-field and the Fusion hit it dead-on. I sent the force- field back, making the Fusion hit the wall again. I shot more energy blasts at the Fusion before it finally died and turned into a Nano Numbuh Four. The Nano disappeared into my NanoCom, along with the three Nanos that had come out to help.

We exited the Infected Zone and headed back to Mount Blackhead. No one seemed to need us anymore so we settled in the Outpost and rested, happy to see the Outpost was healing from its recent attack. Numbuh Four was putting the fighters there to work while the Operatives worked harder to make the fort impassable. Mac, Coco, Numbuh Three, and Ed were sitting under the Magic Tree doing their own things. My teammates rested themselves as my Nano pulled me away to the back of the Magic Tree, wanting to have time to ourselves (in their words). My more fighting Nanos were trying to get me to practice but after telling them that my powers were not physical, they gave up and just began to spare with each other. I smiled at them lazily until Kevin appeared on my NanoCom, complaining about how my aunt and uncle were freaking out about me not being back in Nowhere.

I knew I forgot something when I came back.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dark was sitting in a couch in a room that was housing the three Galactic Guardians. None of them had woken up yet, and Dark was placed in charge of watching over the three. The Monsters had been getting more wild and daring and began to get closer to the Hospital. Alexis, a friend of Grim's, had been sent to assist Dark. She was currently flipping through her pad, checking on updates from Dexlabs. The door to the room opened to the surprise of the two fighters of the war, and they were even more surprised to see Dexter himself walk through, looking solemn as he stared at the three in the beds.

"Have they shown any signs of waking up, Dark?" Dexter asked Dark who was closest to him.

Dark blinked at Dexter in surprised, and Dexter, seeming to have the ability to read minds, turned and smiled thinly at the fighter.

"I make it my business to know every fighter in this war in the chance they are killed," Dexter responded.

"That's... nice," Dark said, deciding not to dwell on Dexter's words.

"They haven't woken up Dexter," Alexis spoke up. "Doctor Lincoln says that they're in coma."

"Did he say for how long?" Dexter asked, his smile turning into a grim frown.

Alexis and Dark shook their heads at the same time.

"He said they _will_ wake up, he just doesn't know for how long," Dark answered.

Dexter sighed and rubbed a gloved hand over his face.

"It's like every time I feel we have gained the upper hand, something occurs to push us three steps back," Dexter said.

"Don't lose hope now," Alexis said. "We can still win this!"

"I've done all the calculations-"

"Forget the stupid calculations!" Alexis said.

"Yeah. Sometimes, things just can't be known from calculations," Dark said. "That's when luck comes in."

"I do not believe in luck," Dexter retorted.

"Then we'll believe enough for you," Alexis said in determination.

Dexter sighed under his breath and left the Hospital, asking that the two fighters keep him on tabs on their conditions.

_With nearly a third of our population killed in this war, there is very little space for hope,_ Dexter thought to himself as he returned to Tech Square, sighing again under his breath.

* * *

**A/N: Oh noes! Dexter is losing hope!**

**I hope this was an enjoyable chapter for all of you, and I am beginning to work on the next chapter.**

**Only 7 more chapters to go before the story is finished. We're almost there.**

**I may begin the next story now so that way it will be ready by time I finish this story.**

**What will the next chapter entail? Not sure, but you'll find out in the next chapter.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	24. Checking in on the Suburbs

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and didn't have to wait too long for this chapter. Once this is over, six more to go.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Four:** Checking in on the Suburbs

* * *

"Do you know how much I was chewed out by your aunt and uncle?" Kevin questioned me.

"I'm sorry," I repeated for the nth time.

Kevin had been irritated the day after my visit to the Darklands. I had forgotten to return back to the home and didn't leave a message, leaving Kevin to face the wrath that was my uncle. I had felt bad to have placed Kevin in such a position, but I honestly had forgotten to return to Nowhere to assure my family that I was alright. Even when I called in, Kevin was still receiving an earful.

"Seriously! I've never had myself chewed out that long before!" Kevin continued.

"I'm sorry," I repeated.

"Your uncle took out his _bat_ and chased me with it!" Kevin shouted.

"I really am sorry," I said, this time feeling worse.

"And your aunt got out her bread beater and-"

"Shut up already!" Juniper said, pushing Kevin out of view on the NanoCom. "Your whining is annoying, and Alice has already apologized to you multiple times."

"I really am sorry guys," I said again.

"It's okay Alice," Juniper said. "Your family didn't too much damage to us. Just scared us."

"I really am sorry. I forgot how protective my family can be," I said.

"It's alright. That just shows how much they care about you," Juniper said. "Anyways, when do you think you'll be heading back to Nowhere?"

"I'm not sure. I'm thinking of helping out here at Mount Blackhead. Numbuh Four has been saying that the fort isn't well protected, so I'm thinking of helping it out," I answered.

"That sounds good," Juniper said with a nod. "I'll tell your family you said hi."

"Thanks Juniper," I said with a smile.

"No problem," she said with a grin, ending the connection.

I placed the NanoCom back on my belt and walked over to where the rest of the group was located. Numbuh Four was yelling at some fighters who had nearly allowed some of Fuse's monsters to attack in the fort. I kept a respectable distance from him because he was rather scary when he yelled, and the fighters seemed to be rather terrified. I instead headed for where Numbuh Three and Coco were sitting at a nearby picnic table.

"Hey Alice!" Numbuh Three greeted, waving a hand.

"Hi Numbuh Three, Coco," I greeted.

"Coco," she greeted back.

"Wasn't that battle fun?" Numbuh Three asked.

"I don't think Numbuh Four found it very fun," I mentioned, nodding by head backwards to the tongue lashing Numbuh Four was giving them.

"Oh he's just over reacting," Numbuh Three said. "He tends to do that a lot."

Coco and I shared an unsure glance but decided to let the subject die. It was at that time that we heard a frustrated cry sound out through the Outpost. We looked over and saw Brent being held back by Trent. Apparently, Brent was trying to attack Ed, who was hiding behind Palmar.

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE A MEDIEVAL KING! IT'S ANNOYING!" Brent shouted.

"I am a king!" Ed whined back.

He shrunk back again when Brent released a frustrated snarl. I held back a sigh and just turned away from the scene.

"Wow. Brent seems pretty mad at Ed," Numbuh Three commented.

"Coco cocococo coco cocococococo," Coco said.

"I'm not sure why," I said mystified. "Brent seems to be the only one upset by Ed's speech. I'll try and think of a way to fix it."

"Do you think you can?" Mac asked, walking towards us.

"I'm going to have to," I answered. "I don't want Brent to kill Ed. I think I'm going to talk to Double-D and see if he can fix Ed."

"That seems like it will work," Mac said with a nod.

"Excuse me," I said, getting up to make the call. It took a while before Double-D answered.

"Salutations Alice," Double-D greeted on the other side of the line. "What can I do for you today?"

"We have a situation. Can you help us?" I asked.

"Sure. What is it?" he asked.

"Well... Ed believes that he's the king of the Outpost and he's been talking with a medieval English voice, and it's annoying Brent and... well..." I turned the NanoCom and allowed him to see what was happening.

"Sam hill!" Double-D said.

"Can you help?" I asked, turning the NanoCom back to me.

"Yes. Give me a second," Double-D said, leaving my view. Moments later, Sara appeared.

"Hi Alice, whatcha need?" she asked.

"Hi Sarah. Uhm..." I directed my NanoCom at the situation.

"Ohh," Sarah said. "Get me closer, will ya?"

"Sure," I answered, moving closer to the situation.

I was in hearing range and vice versa. It was only a second later when I heard Sarah release a shriek from the NanoCom.

"EDDDDDDDDDD!" Sarah screeched, causing all activity in the area to stop to look over at me and the NanoCom. "Knock your stupid make believe off! This is serious."

"But Sarah," Ed whined in his normal tone.

"No buts!" Sarah interrupted. "If you don't knock it off I'm going to tell mom!"

"Okay Sarah," Ed said in defeat.

"Thank you Sarah," I said with a small sweat drop.

I was thankful to her for stopping Ed, but I didn't think she had to do it like that.

"No problem Alice. Just call me up whenever you need me to stop my brother," she said with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure Jimmy doesn't get attacked by some of those alien monsters."

"Has the Cul-de-Sac been attacked?" I asked in concern.

"Just a few times, but they haven't gotten through," Sarah answered.

"I see," I whispered to myself. "Thank you again Sarah. Please keep safe."

"Same to you. And send my stupid brother back up this way," Sarah said.

"I will," I said back, and Sarah, with a nod, turned off the connection.

"Thank you for that," Brent said with a sigh. "He was seriously going to maim him."

"She just didn't want you to spill blood," Trent stated, to which I nodded.

"I don't want to see my friends fight or get hurt," I said, backing up Trent's statement.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Brent questioned, obviously switching topics on purpose.

"Who knows," Palmar stated. "We're mainly dealing with Fusions, so we have to wait till they strike."

"Dang. I hate how we're on the defense rather than offense," Brent muttered.

"Just be glad we're able to, Brent," his twin said.

"How about we go and check on Foster's, and perhaps the Cul-de-Sac? We can see if we can bring Ed back," I proposed.

"Sounds good. We haven't been down in the subs for a while," Brent said with a nod.

"I'll go see if Ed wants to come with us," Palmar said, turning and heading for where Ed sat.

_I wonder,_ I thought to myself, _if my home is still intact. I haven't even checked on it in so long._

"Alice? Alice!"

I jumped back in startlement and looked at the twins who were staring back at me in concern.

"You spaced out there," Brent said. "We were just wondering if you were alright."

"Y-yes. I'm alright. I was just thinking, sorry," I said. "Don't worry about it."

"That's alright, we were just worried," Trent said. "Palmar's still talking to Ed. How do we want to get to Foster's?"

"We can hitch a ride from those Monkeys and then ride down to Foster's," Brent stated.

"That sounds good," I said with a nod.

"It may be hard if Ed comes," Trent said.

"He can ride with me since my vehicle is bigger," Brent offered.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. Anything to drop him off at another place," Brent said, making me smile slightly.

"Well okay," I said with a nod.

"MY COMICS!" Ed cried, running past us.

"Wh-what?" I asked.

"I was able to convince Ed to return with us to the Cul-de-Sac by reminding him about his comic books," Palmar explained as he walked back over to our group.

"Oh," I said.

"So what's the transportation?" Palmar asked.

"We're heading to Camp Kidney by the Skyway and use our vehicles to get us to Foster's," Trent answered. "Once we're done there, we'll head down to the Cul-de-Sac."

"That sounds good. Let's go," Palmar said.

We followed Palmar and headed into Camp Kidney, finding Tolietnator giving out missions to other fighters.

"Alice!" a couple voices cried.

It was the Jelly Beans and some of the Squirrel Scouts, running up to greet us. I smiled in relief and delight to see that they were all healed.

"You all are better," I commented.

"Better, yep," Clam said.

"Nurse Leslie really helped," Raj added.

"Along with those herbs Nina found for us," Lazlo commented.

"Oh it was nothing," Nina said, "I just knew what plants to look for."

"I'm just glad you all are alright," I said with a smile. "Has the camp been attacked?"

"No. May is a surprisingly helpful defender," Lazlo said.

"And we campers have been banding together to assist in the protection of the camp," Patsy added with a proud smile.

"I'm so glad to hear," I said with a wider smile.

"Alice, we need to get going, preferably before May finds out Ed is here," Palmar said.

"Oh," I said, looking over at him. "You're right. We had better be going. It was nice to see all of you again. Please stay safe."

"We will Alice," Lazlo said with a grin and a wave of his hand.

"You stay safe as well," Patsy said.

"And give those ugly creeps a good hit for me!" Gretchen added.

I smiled and nodded at her. We walked to the limits of the camp and called out our vehicles. It was a short trip from the camp to Foster's, and I was relieved to find that it was still intact.

"Why are we stopping here?" Ed asked. "I want my comics!"

"We're stopping for a moment," Brent replied to the tall Ed.

"I'm sorry for it being an inconvenience, I just wish to make sure everyone here is alright," I answered to Ed.

"I can assure you we're all fine," Frankie's voice said from behind me.

I turned and smiled at the older woman. She grinned back at me.

"Glad to see you in one piece," she said. "With all your adventures, I was getting pretty worried that something bad would happen to you."

"I'm alright," I said. "So are Mac, Bloo, and Coco."

"That's good to hear. Do you know much on Wilt? There hasn't been much conversation between us, so I'm not sure if he's alright," Frankie expressed.

"Well, Sarah says the Cul-de-Sac hasn't been invaded yet, so I'm guessing everything is alright," I said. "I'm heading over there now. I can check for you."

"That'd be great," Frankie said. "Most of the aliens here have dwindled in their numbers, so it's safer for the Friends."

"Have any been harmed?" I asked.

"No. We've been very lucky. A few fighters have been camping out here to ensure the house's safety," Frankie explained.

"What about Eduardo?" I asked.

"He's currently with Mr. Herriman and my grandma," she answered. "He's been in a high spirited mood thanks to you guys getting his stuffed animals back to him."

"It was no trouble," I said with a smile.

"Thanks anyways. So what do you plan to do in the Cul-de-Sac?" she asked.

"Just to check on everyone there," Brent said with a smile. "And to deliver Ed back to where he belongs."

"Well good luck on your journey and be sure to stay safe," Frankie said.

"We will," we said as a group, smiling and calling out our vehicles again to head for Cul-de-Sac.

When we entered the limits of Peach Creek Common, we were greeted by Kevin and Nazz, both honorary Urban Rangers.

"So you're here to check up?" Nazz asked as we walked to the Cul-de-Sac.

"And to bring back Ed it seems," Kevin said with a motion to the taller Ed.

"Yes to both," I answered with a nod.

"Well you don't have to worry about your home, we've been taking good care of it since you left. Even cleaned it up," Nazz said with a smile.

"I'm so happy to hear that," I said with a grateful smile. "I'm sorry if it was troubling you to do that."

"It was no big deal," Kevin assured as we reached the front of gates of the fort.

"Yeah. We wanted to do something nice for you after all the good you've done for us," Nazz said, still smiling at us.

I smiled lightly at her but it didn't reach my eyes. I still couldn't understand why everyone thought what I do is better than what they do. Don't they see that what they do is just as helpful? I haven't stopped Fuse yet; I haven't done anything to save the world.

"Alice? You okay girl?" Nazz's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yes I'm fine. I just space out, that's all," I answered.

"Hello Alice," Wilt said. I hadn't even noticed that we were in the main center of the fort. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting."

"Oh no Wilt," I said with a smile. "You didn't interrupt anything. Frankie was worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Wilt said. "I keep forgetting to write to her to tell her I'm alright. If it's okay with you two, I'll go do that now."

"It's okay Wilt," I said.

"Totally dude," Nazz said with a nod.

Wilt smiled and headed off for an empty home to write the letter in. Eddy was busy trying to scam a fighter (why won't he ever learn?) while Double-D was being happily hugged by Ed.

"It's really good to see Ed," Nazz said. "Even Kevin missed him."

"I'm just happy he was okay," I said with a smile. "I'm happy to see all my friends are okay."

"We feel the same way," Nazz said with a smile.

I smiled back before we heard a yell.

"NO!" Ed cried, turning our attention to his house. "I'M MISSING MY COMIC BOOKS!"

"Oh dear," Double-D said.

"Have you checked everywhere in that mess you call a room?" Eddy questioned.

"Yes! But I am still missing my comics!" Ed whined.

"It could have been because of those aliens that broke in," Jimmy suggested, having been in close range to hear.

"Those stupid aliens just broke in and then left," Sarah added. "I didn't even notice if they took anything."

"I wonder where they took them," Palmar said.

My NanoCom went off, making my concentration turn to the NanoCom. On the screen was Tetrax.

"Greetings Alice," he began politely. "I have picked up strange activity in the Huntor's Crest. Some fighters informed that us that they saw the Fusionflies and the Wooly Behemoths with some things called comic books."

"MY COMIC BOOKS!" Ed cried.

"We'll head to the Darklands right away," I said to Tetrax.

We left the Cul-de-Sac and made a direct flight to the Darklands, getting off on the research facility.

"You can use the Monkey's to take you to Huntor's Crest," Tetrax said.

"Be wary of Demongo," Jack warned as we passed him. "He is a trickster and a stealer of souls."

"Oh _what_?" Brent questioned, turning to look at Jack.

"Souls," Jack answered.

"How come no one's keeping an eye on him!" Brent exclaimed.

"We are, there is no need to worry about that," Tetrax replied. "He hasn't tried anything funny yet."

"But still, be very careful when dealing with him," Jack said.

"We will," Palmar said whit a nod. "Now let's go."

We left the airship and using the Monkey Skyways, headed for Huntor's Crest. We landed and found ourselves at a SACT camp.

"You must be Alice," a SACT member said, as he walked up to us. "My name is Agent Warburton."

"Your first name is Agent?" Brent questioned.

"Brent don't be such an idiot," Trent said to his brother.

"You're here about the Fusionflies and the Wooly Behemoth, right?"

"Yes," we answered with a nod.

"They won't be hard to find," Warburton said. "Some fighters in the war have reported that they found some monsters with comic books. We thought we'd report it."

"Thank you," I said. "They are Ed's, and he wants them back. We're here to get them."

"Well I've already had a few people try and reclaim them, but the monsters are turning up empty. Maybe you can try your luck," Warburton said.

"We shall," I said with a nod.

"Hold on, my dear."

I felt the hair on the back of my neck. I turned and found Demongo staring back at me. I felt frozen, just as I was when I met Him. Demonog just smiled creepily at me.

"What a strong warrior soul you contain," Demongo commented.

"Leave us alone Demongo," Palmar said. "We have things to do."

"Of course," Demongo said. "Do take care. I wouldn't want your souls crossing my path."

"Let's go," Palmar said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me away from the soul collector.

"That guy is so creepy," Brent muttered.

"We were right to be warned against him," Trent added.

"You two go to the Wooly Behemoths and try and find the comics. Alice and I will try the Fusionflies," Palmar instructed.

"Righto boss," the twins said in unison, heading out.

"Let's go Alice," Palmar said.

We found the Fusionflies easily and took to slaying them, but none of them gave up the comic books. When we met up with the twins, we found the same thing.

"Those things don't have them anymore," Trent stated. "If they ever did."

"Then where can they be?" I questioned.

"Alice. Gwen contacted me, stating she was picking up Fusion activity in the Firepits Infected Zone," Tetrax said over my NanoCom. "Head over there immediately."

"Right," I said into the NanoCom.

We headed to the Firepits Infected Zone and entered, being greeted by the sight of dinosaurs.

"Whoa," Brent said.

"We need to find that Fusion Portal," Palmar reminded us, quickly heading for some jump pads.

We found the Fusion Portal quickly, able to avoid fighting with the monsters. We entered the Portal and began to kill the Freakosaurus Rexes. After all the time we had spent killing the monsters, it became easy and so we made it through the lair without trouble, finding Fusion Ed where almost all the Fusions reside.

"How much do you want to bet he's got the comics?" Brent questioned.

"Enough chit-chat, we have work to do," Palmar said.

The three of us nodded and immediately attacked the Fusion. The Fusion released a cry of anger and turned towards us.

"You dare to attack!"

The shock of hearing the Fusion talk made all of us stop and look at it in surprise.

"It talked?" Brent questioned.

"Fascinating. I thought only Fusion Alice could because she had consumed Alice," Trent remarked.

"They've somehow evolved," Palmar muttered.

"You shall die!" Fusion Ed cried, sending a blast at us.

"Watch out!" I called, holding up my arms to call up a shield.

I was able to block the hit, but the force sent us back. I managed to hit a wall and fell to the ground. As I tried to get up, Fusion Ed stepped on my back, pushing me back to the ground.

"Weak," it muttered. "You are a weak worm."

"Get off of her!" Palmar shouted from somewhere above us.

The weight on top of me was lifted. I quickly got up and found Palmar facing Fusion Ed. Fusion Ed quickly blasted at Palmar, sending him away.

"Palmar!" I cried.

"You're next human," Fusion Ed said.

I sent a blast of energy at it, sending it backwards.

"Leave my friends and this world alone!" I cried at the Fusion.

"Weak," the Fusion replied.

"Enough!" I cried, sending more energy blasts at the Fusion.

They managed to hit their mark and caused the Fusion to fall to the ground. I raised my hand and sent another blast at the Fusion, managing to hit it in the heart. The Fusion, after the attack, turned into Fusion Matter, and turned into a Nano. The Fusion also managed to drop Ed's comic books, which were picked up by Brent. I quickly ran over to Palmar, who was slowly getting up.

"Are you alright Palmar?" I asked, helping him to his knees.

"I'll live," he responded.

I wasn't satisfied with the answer and called out Nano Eduardo. The little Nano was ecstatic to be out and hugged my arm.

"Senorita Alice!" the little Nano cried. "I so glad to see you."

"It's good to see you too Nano Eduardo," I greeted, even though it hasn't been very long since I last saw him. "Can you heal Palmar, please?"

Nano Eduardo looked over at Palmar and seemed to shrink back, but reluctantly nodded. He used his _Papas Fritas_ and I felt the familiar feeling of Nano Eduardo's healing power flow through my body. Palmar looked physically better and stood up, nodding at my retreating Nano.

"Let's return these to Ed," Brent commented, picking up the comics.

"I'll inform him," I said, reaching for my NanoCom.

I had barely touched the device when it went off, and on the screen was Jack.

"Alice, there has been strange activity in the Dark Glade. I ask that you check what is occurring," Jack said. "We have reason to believe that Fuse is using it to make his minions more powerful. I need you to take out four of the Ghastly Growths and five of the Bully Behemoths."

"Again? Won't he ever learn?" Brent questioned.

"I must warn you Alice, there is a great evil that resides in the Dark Glade. It is called the Dark Tree."

"You mean that thing that had damaged the Magic Tree?" Brent cut in.

"Yes. It is a very powerful and very dangerous thing," Jack continued. "It is the essence of all evil."

"No way!" Brent commented while his brother exclaimed, "That's impossible!"

"It is," Jack answered. "I caution you on your journey. Do not come within contact of the tree if you can avoid it."

"We promise to," I said.

Jack nodded and ended the conversation. We quickly walked to the Fusion Portal and left. We left the zone and headed for the Dark Glade Infected Zone, avoiding Demongo. It was rather dangerous getting to the zone, especially with the bridge looking so torn with planks missing. We were surprised when we discovered that all of Dark Glade was held in the Infected Zone, but entered it, finding the Ghastly Growths. Splitting up, we each took down a Ghastly Growth like instructed, finding that the monsters were harder to beat than normal. After defeating the four, we moved on to the Bully Behemoths and killed five of them, once again finding that they were challenging.

"Well that's all of them," Brent stated.

"Not really," Trent said. "But that's the amount we needed."

I smiled at the two but it fell quickly at the cold feeling that suddenly overcame me. What was this feeling? Where was it coming from? As if to answer my inner thoughts, my eyes were drawn upon the tree. It stood tall and massive, and even I could sense the dark energy that feeded off it. I took a step back in fear, despite my draw to it.

**You cannot refuse me for long my dear.**

I felt two hands touch my shoulders suddenly, and, in fright due to the voice, I jumped away from the touch and released a small cry.

"Alice! What's wrong?" Palmar's voice broke through.

I snapped my eyes open and looked at my teammates, taking in their shocked and worried expressions. Realizing what just happened, I blushed in embarrassment and shook my head.

"N-nothing. Sorry. I just... I was consumed with my thoughts and I was surprised," I said, trying to quell their concerns. "Sorry for worrying you guys like that."

"That's alright," Trent said with a smile. "We should have figured by the look."

"Call to Jack and see what he wants us to do now," Palmar advised.

"Right," I said with a nod, grabbing the NanoCom. "Jack? We've defeated the monsters."

"Excellent work Alice. Courage has sent me a message, informing me of the rise in Fusion activity in the Firepits," Jack informed.

"Again?" Palmar questioned.

"I am afraid so," Jack answered. "Please find the Fusion behind this."

"Okay guys, back to the Firepits," Brent said.

We left the Dark Glade and returned to the Firepits Infect Zone. We found the Portal at the other end of the zone and entered it. We quickly went through the lair and came upon Fusion Courage. Before we could sneak up on the Fusion, it turned and, after releasing a howl, pounced at us. We moved away from his attack and I blasted a energy wave at the Fusion, managing to make a cut on its arm. The Fusion grabbed the wound and began to whimper, making me falter.

I knew it was a Fusion and so I shouldn't have been affected by its cries, but Fusion Courage reminded me too much of my Courage, and so I faltered. The Fusion must have known, because it did not hesitate to attack. The swipe from the Fusion managed to get me in my stomach, sending me back.

"Alice!" my friends called.

In my defense, I placed up a force-shield, protecting me from the Fusion's deadly paw. Using the shield, I pushed the Fusion away from me. The Fusion growled at me and pushed harder against the shield. Knowing that I had to do something about him and quickly, I lowered by shield and sent an energy blast at him, effectively hitting through its stomach. Fusion Courage released a howl and bit at my arm. Out of instinct, I placed my palm on the tip of its nose and send a blast, causing it to turn into Fusion Matter. The Fusion Matter changed into Nano Courage, who barked happily and wagged his tail.

"Hello," I greeted the Nano, gently holding the Nano in my hands.

Nano Courage yipped happily, before noticing my wound. The little guy released a small whimper, and I felt the tell-tale signs of healing powers work on my body. The wound disappeared and the piece of cloth returned to normal. I smiled and placed a small kiss on the top of Nano Courage's nose.

"Thank you Nano Courage," I said.

The Nano blushed and disappeared into the NanoCom as I stood to my feet. I turned and faced a stern-looking Palmar.

"Alice, what just happened?" Palmar demanded.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You hesitated! You let your guard down and the Fusion was able to attack," Palmar answered.

"I... I'm sorry. I just-"

"You've been spacing out all day. If something is wrong, you need to tell us," Palmar continued.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"There's nothing wrong," I said. "I'm just sorry."

"Lay off Palmar," Brent said.

"Yeah. Alice is probably just tried," Trent added, coming to my side and placing a hand on my shoulder. "We should head back to Peach Creek and call it a day."

"Fine," Palmar said with a sigh.

We left the Zone and, after informing Jack that we took care of the problem, headed for the Cul-de-Sac. The Urban Rangers and Cul-de-Sac kids greeted us eagerly, but I didn't feel much for celebrating. Breaking away from the group, I headed back to my house. True to her word, Nazz and the others kept my home clean. I smiled at the photographs and took a small time to stare at one of me and my mother when I was much younger. I smiled at it and moved up to my room, deciding a rest would greatly help my mood. Whatever had been in there had been calling to me, and that terrified me.

I only hoped, as I laid myself on my bed, that I would never have to deal with that tree.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

**Only a matter of time.**

* * *

**A/N: And things are getting interesting!**

**I hope this wasn't a long wait for some of you, and that you enjoyed the chapter. I honestly can't wait to start using... well... you'll all find out later.**

**What will the next chapter entail? Well, it's a surprise! So you'll just have to wait.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	25. The Dark Wizard Lives

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Guess what! We have a fun guest appearing! Let's give it up for the guest!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War

**Author:** AnimeGirl 144

**Chapter Twenty Five:** The Dark Wizard Lives

* * *

I felt bad for skipping out on the Cul-de-Sac celebration last night. Everyone had been on edge since the war began, so last night they had set up a party to diffuse the tension. Sarah and Jimmy had come by to ask me if I wanted to attend; I declined politely, stating that I was tired and they seemed to understand, leaving me to myself. I spent the night rather quietly, using my time going through the items in my house and getting myself reacquainted with my possessions.

After dressing myself for the day, I headed for the front door to find the boys and offer them breakfast. I felt bad for being very spacey yesterday; it seemed to have upset them. As I opened the door, I was surprised by the sight that greeted me. Brent and Trent were wrestling Palmar to the ground. I blinked in shock, since they didn't seem to notice my presence up until my Nano Juniper appeared out of the Nanocom, making a small noise in her throat to gain their attention. The trio stopped and looked up at me.

"Uhm..." I didn't dare ask what was going on.

"See? Perfect opportunity!" Brent said.

The twins pulled Palmar to his feet, but held him in place with one boy holding each of Palmar's arms behind his back.

"Now apologize," Trent said civilly.

"What's this about?" I asked in shock while my Nano crossed her arms over her chest.

"We noticed you were really upset yesterday after Palmar snapped at you, so he's here to apologize," Brent explained with a kind smile in my direction. He then turned to Palmar and said expectantly, "_Right_?"

"You don't have to force him," I said, feeling sympathetic towards Palmar who looked to be in some discomfort.

"He needs to apologize," Trent said. "He hurt you and that's just not acceptable."

I was touched by the twin's concern, considering that they'd be more loyal to Palmar than myself, considering that their friendship ran much longer with him than with me. I was going to speak out against them forcing Palmar to do this when the leader spoke.

"I'm sorry if my snapping hurt you Alice," Palmar apologized sincerely. "I was worried that something was wrong with you. We're getting closer to the end of this war, and anything can go wrong. I was just edgy. I'm sorry."

I felt a bit of heat in my cheeks but shook it off and smiled at him.

"It's alright," I said. "Why don't you three come in and I'll make some breakfast for all of you."

The mention of food caused Trent and Brent to release their hold on Palmar and to run into the house, causing me to smile at their retreating backs while my Nano followed after to ensure that they wouldn't mess up my kitchen. Palmar followed them more slowly, and once my teammates were in my home, I closed the door to cook for them.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Jack sat in a butterfly position, mediating at the edge of Mandark Ind.'s airship. His eyebrows were creased in worry and concentration. Many warriors who wanted to meet him were turned away by Jack's comrade, Tetrax. The alien was worried for the time-traveling samurai since he had been in that position since Alice and her friends had departed from the Darklands.

"Are you alright my friend?" Tetrax questioned the samurai as he stood behind the seated man.

"No," Jack replied, opening his eyes. "I sense that _**he**_ is growing more powerful."

"Fuse?" Tetrax questioned.

"No," Jack replied as he stood to his full stature and turned to look at his comrade-in-arms. He practically spit out the name, "_Aku_."

Tetrax remembered his name from Jack retelling his tale of dealing with the Dark Wizard, but Tetrax did not know him personally.

"Please call upon Alice," Jack requested. "I am in need of her services."

Tetrax nodded and grabbed his ComLink.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

We found ourselves on the airship in the Darklands once again, staring at the two, adult warriors that supervised over the younger warriors in the Darkland. Both were tense, making me slightly worried that something bad had happened.

"Alice, I require your assistance," Jack began formally.

"Of course," I said with a nod, patiently waiting for Jack to continue.

"I ask that you go to Hero's Hollow and acquire the Wisdom Seed from the Eyebulb monsters," Jack stated. "Once you have gained the seed, take it to the Dark Tree. It should slow the Dark Tree's infection."

We nodded.

"Before you leave, take this with you," Jack continued, holding out his hand.

In his palm was a black shard that oozed evilness, making me shudder in fear.

"This is the Shadow Fragment that contains the remains of Aku," Jack explained. "When you are at the Dark Tree, destroy it. Without these, Aku cannot gain a foothold in this timeline."

"We understand," Palmar stated, taking the fragment from Jack.

He placed it in his pocket, but I could still feel the effects of the fragment. With no more explanations needed, we headed, by the use of the Skyway, to Huntor's Crest. We avoided Demongo and headed into Hero's Hollow, coming upon the Eyebulbs quickly. After killing a few that stood in our way, we found the one that dropped the Wisdom Seed. I quickly grabbed it before another monster could steal it and handed it to Trent, who safely tucked it away in his pocket. With the seed safely placed away, we headed into the Dark Glade, heading for the Dark Tree. As we were getting closer, I felt the beginnings of a headache that began to grow more and more in pain as we drew closer to the tree.

"Are you alright Alice?" Trent asked as we were heading to the Tree by way of the rickety bridge.

"I-I'll be fine," I answered, gripping the rope for dear life.

"Palmar! Dude! Look at your pocket!" Brent exclaimed in awe when we stepped foot on the floating platform of the Dark Tree.

All our attention was turned to Palmar's pocket. From his pocket opening, a shadow-like substance began to float out of it. Palmar quickly grabbed it and held it in his hand in shock. In shock, I was drawn to the fragment before feeling myself being pulled from consciousness as the fragment floated from his palm and towards me, beginning to feel it fuse with my body. I heard the boys shout, but I couldn't tell for what reason or why. I just felt myself leave the world of the consciousness and fell into unconsciousness.

**You are now mine, dear.**

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

The boy's stared in shock as the fragment floated from Palmar's palm towards their female friend and watched as it embedded itself in her body. They shouted in shock and worry, unsure of what was happening or what to do. Her eyes were closed as she stood still. The boy's wondered what was happening to her when her eyes suddenly snapped open.

What they saw made them lose their breaths.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Demongo suddenly turned in the direction of the Dark Glade.

"Master?" he questioned with delight.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Jack's entire body tensed, causing Tetrax to look at him in concern.

"Is everything alright my friend?" he asked.

"He was been awakened," Jack stated.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

A ping on Dexter's computer caused the genius to look at it in question. As he was bringing up another window to view what had been pinged, Computresss rolled into the room, coming to stand behind Dexter.

"Dexter, I have sensed a high power energy appear in the Darklands," Computress reported. "More details are yet to be known."

"Yes," Dexter said as he viewed what his computer data was reporting. "And it seems Alice is in the middle of it."

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Fusion Alice turned her head in a random direction while Fuse raised his head. A glare was set on his face as he bored holes into the wall before him. Like his daughter, he had sensed the high power emerge, and he was none-too-pleased.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Instead of a pair of blue eyes staring back at them, it was small, cold black eyes. Around her eyes were red, living flames. She regarded them coldly as shadowy energy vibrated off her. They were briefly reminded of their encounter with Fusion Alice, but felt that this was a more dangerous situation. Alice stretched out her hand and clenched it. The boys stared in shock as shadow-like flames consumed her fist.

"**How good it feels to be out, even if it isn't in my true body,**" a deep voice from Alice's throat said.

"That's-" Trent began.

"Aku," Palmar finished through gritted teeth.

"This isn't good," Brent remarked unhelpfully.

Alice/Aku regarded the boys again and glared at them.

"**Perfect. A way to test my abilities in this body,**" Aku remarked.

"Get out of her body Aku!" Palmar ordered.

"**I don't think you understand, boy. Her body is powerful, and a perfect vessel for me to use,**" Aku stated.

"I don't care what you believe. Get. Out. Of. Her. Body!" Palmar ordered.

"**And what will you do if I don't? Attack me?**" Aku taunted, staring down at Palmar haughtily.

Palmar snarled in anger, but didn't say a word against his statement. While he wanted to get rid of Aku, there was no way to do so without harming Alice. Aku seemed to see his dilemma and smirked.

"**So weak. It is truly a shame that she is stuck with you,**" Aku said, looking around his surroundings.

Sensing the Dark Tree, Alice/Aku walked towards the Dark Tree, raising her hand and placing it against the side of the living plant. She closed her eyes and began to draw the dark energy from the tree to consume it with herself.

"What can we do?" Brent questioned in a hushed tone.

"I'm not sure," Palmar answered, keeping his eyes trained on Alice/Aku. "We'll have to do something quickly."

"What about the Wisdom Seed?" Trent asked, holding the seed that Alice had given him. "Perhaps it can do something to give Alice enough time to fight back for control of her body."

"We'll give it a shot," Palmar said with a nod. "Just be careful."

Trent nodded and began to creep towards Alice/Aku carefully, holding out the Wisdom Seed to hurt Aku. The Dark Wizard barely registered the human's presence; He was too busy using the energy to take full control of the alien girl. He was fighting an internal battle to take control of Alice (who he forced into a slumber) in her psyche, but he was being repelled by the alien presence that had been a buffer to her.

_**You will not harm the girl, Aku.**_

**We shall see.**

As Aku began to break the barriers Arthena had placed up to defend her body owner, he felt a searing pain that drew his attention to the external world. He opened Alice's eyes to see one of the human boy's holding up a seed. He snarled in anger and sent a dark energy wave at the human, sending the young man back toward his friends.

"**I will teach you for daring to face me,**" Aku snarled.

_**Not if I can help it, Aku!**_

Aku was surprised when he felt himself being frozen from the inside. He returned to the psyche of the inner mind of Alice, finding her slowly awakening with her loyal Arthena protecting her.

**So, you wish to play,** Aku sneered.

_**This is Alice's body, and I will not allow you to take control of her!**_ Arthena looked determined as she faced off with Aku.

**You cannot stop me you foolish woman! I, the Dark Wizard, am now fused with the girl.**

_**I may not be able to stop you or repel you from this body, but I can contain you.**_

Aku's eyes widened as he was suddenly engulfed in a bright light. The light extended from the psyche to the external world, causing a glowing light to surround Alice before disappearing. In its wake, the shadowy-flames that had outlined the Keltic was gone, leaving her looking normal.

**You may have won this round, but I am far from gone.**

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

"Huh?" I managed to say out of my vocal chords as I slowly came too. "What happened?"

"Alice! You're alright!" Brent exclaimed, his worried face hovering over my own.

"We were worried about you," Trent continued, helping me get into a sitting position.

"But... What happened?" I repeated.

"You don't remember?" Palmar asked.

I shook my head. My memory was fuzzy, and nothing was coming. Even Arthena was silent as I called for her.

"Perhaps it's for the best," Palmar said with a nod. "Anyways, implant the Seed into the Tree. We need to stall the infection and then face the Fusion."

"A Fusion?" I asked, looking at him in question. Jack hadn't mentioned a Fusion.

"There's a Portal next to the Tree. Guarantee there's a Fusion inside," Palmar explained.

I nodded and, with my friend's help, managed to stand on my feet. Trent handed me the Seed, and I used pushed it into the bark of the Tree. I was unsure of whether or not it worked, but I hoped that it had. Turning to the boys, we headed into the Fusion Portal as a group and appeared in the Fusion's underground lair. After moving through the maze, killing the Eyebulbs that were in our way, we came upon the clearing and found Fusion Jack pacing back and forth. Before we could make a move, he unsheathed his sword and lunged at us. We managed to dodge, but the sword was able to slice me on my side, drawing blood. Before I could utter a sound, Nano Courage appeared, using _Soft Shoe Shimmy_ and healing my open wound.

"Thank you Nano Courage," I said.

"Alice!" Palmar said in warning.

I threw up a shield for protection, and it was a good thing too. The tip of the sword touched the shield, aimed in the direction of the space between my eyes. I used the shield to push Fusion Jack away from me before lowering it and launching a crescent-shaped energy wave, hitting the Fusion in its stomach. The Fusion snarled in anger before lunging for me again, aiming his sword. Nano Coco appeared, using her _Egg Bomb _to stun the Fusion. It worked, giving us a few seconds to attack. While the boys used their weapons to fire at the Fusion, I relied on my powers for my attacks. The Fusion released a terrifying roar as the Nano's effect wore off, but a final hit caused it to turn into Nano Jack, who bowed, slashed his sword in the air, and then disappeared into the NanoCom.

"Another Fusion down, and another Nano added," Brent said with a triumphant smile as we gathered outside the perimeters of the Infected Zone.

"Are you alright Alice?" Trent asked, turning his attention to me. "You look distressed."

"I'm alright," I answered. "I just feel... different, but I don't know why."

We headed into Huntor's Crest, heading for the Skyway, when we were stopped by Demongo, who seemed all too happy to greet us. He gave a bow that put us all on edge.

"I am at your services," Demongo said before standing up to his full stature.

"What for?" Brent questioned.

"She embodies my Master, and therefore, I am also her loyal servant," Demongo answered, staring at me directly.

This confused me greatly, so I turned to the boys for answers. They were stiff, causing me to be even more confused.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Demongo questioned, cutting off the boys before they could speak. "You embody my Master, Aku."

"Wh-what! N-no. You have it all wrong. I don't..." I trailed off and looked back at my friends for support, but none of them were looking at me.

_Arthena?_ I called, seeing her materialize beside me and behind me.

_**I am afraid that Demongo is correct, Alice. The Fragment of Aku has become one with your body. You are now the carrier for Aku.**_

My eyes widened more in shock before I felt a grip on my shoulder. Turning, I found the spirit of Aku staring down at me.

**Do not be so frightened my dear.**

I shuttered upon hearing Aku's voice and shook my head. Both images of Arthena and Aku disappeared.

"This can't be possible," I breathed out, looking up but not at anyone in particular.

"Do not be so worried. As long as you walk this Earth, I shall ensure your soul's safety," Demongo said.

This didn't comfort me in the least bit, but I shook my head and kept silent.

"Before you go, child, you must return to the Dark Glade. I sense a Fusion counterpart has awakened," Demongo said. "Seeing as you four are fighting them, I believe it is an interest of yours."

"We'll handle it," Palmar grounded out, guiding us away from the soul collector.

Demongo watched us leave with his creepy smile. When we were a little aways from him, my Nano Demongo appeared and slid easily into my arms, crossing his own over his chest as he pouted. Despite my fear of his normal counterpart, I couldn't help but smile at my Nano; I knew deep down none of them would ever hurt me, so I had no fear of my Nano.

"Your little dude jealous?" Brent questioned.

"I am not jealous!" Nano Demongo snapped. "I just do not like how he assumes that he is the protector of her soul; That is _my _job!"

"It's alright Nano Demongo," I said to my Nano, gently pecking him on the top of his head, avoiding the blue flames.

My Nano seemed to accept this response and disappeared back into the NanoCom. We arrived at the Glade and entered it. It felt different than when we were last in a few minutes prior, but we didn't say a thing about it and simply went on our way to finding the Fusion Portal. When we found it, we entered the Portal, appearing in the lair. We traveled through the lair until we found our Fusion; Fusion Demongo.

"Be careful guys," Palmar warned.

"But.. Alice already has a Nano Demongo. What does this thing give when we beat it?" Brent questioned.

"We'll just have to find out," Trent said, readying his Noxious Tin Mine and throwing it into the clearing.

It hit the Fusion, causing it to be disoriented for a moment, giving us our chance to jump in and attack. The Fusion released a cackle as it sent Matter balls our way. I raised my shield and defended us from the attacks, sending the balls back at their owner. We split up and attacked from separate sides, sending our attack at it. The Fusion released another cackle as it sent more attacks our way.

"This guy doesn't give up," Brent commented over the sound of his gun firing.

"He's a Fusion," Trent muttered. "Of course he doesn't."

"Stop whining and keep firing," Palmar ordered.

I sent a blast at Fusion Demongo, wanting to keep its attention on me and away from the others. Fusion Demongo didn't seem to catch on to my plan, but it seemed all too happy to attack me. Before it could come anywhere near me to place its claws on me, we managed to turn him into a Nano version of...

"Nano Aku!" the little Nano said. "The Dark Wizard lives."

"We should have seen that coming," Trent remarked as the Nano was greeted by Nano Demongo, who conversed in quiet tones with it and both disappeared into the NanoCom. We exited the Portal and then the Infected Zone, heading for the Skyway monkeys.

"So now there's a Nano Aku," Brent muttered as he followed the group, his hands behind his head.

"It doesn't seem to be too troublesome," Trent remarked.

"I'm just wondering how a Fusion Demongo turned into a Nano Aku," Palmar stated.

"Perhaps Jack can explain it when we arrive back at the airship," Trent said.

My insides turned cold in worry at the mention of Jack. Aku was Jack's mortal enemy; everybody knew that. How would he handle the news that not only was Aku out of his prison, but he was also living inside of me. I did my best not to let this worry surface on my face as we landed on the Mandark Ind.'s airship, but it seemed to not have gotten past Jack's eyes.

"Alice, are you alright?" Jack asked.

"Y-yes. I'm fine," I answered.

"Were you able to destroy the Fragment?" Jack asked.

We looked at each other before looking down. This seemed to have worried Jack.

"Did something happen?" he questioned.

"Well... sort of," Brent responded.

"What happened?" Tetrax asked, stepping up to hear what was being said.

"The... The Fragment piece embedded itself within me," I answered, steeling my nerves for what was to come. "Aku now lives within me."

Nothing happened, which terrified me even more as a silence fell over us. I closed my eyes and waited for... well anything at this point! A hand reached out and touched my shoulder, making me open my eyes and look up. Jack was staring at me, but not in anger.

"It is alright Alice," he said. "It was my fault for sending you out to the Tree; Aku had been waiting for the moment to strike, and he did. For that, I am truly sorry. But I have every confidence that you will be able to defend yourself against him."

I blinked at Jack, not really expecting that response, but I smiled and nodded.

"You must all be tired. Rest here and regain your strength, there is still much to do," Tetrax advised.

We nodded in agreement, feeling that the day had been eventful and leaving us drained. A little relaxation would help immensely.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"Dexter, the powerful energy has subdued," Computress reported. "I detect no more spikes."

"Yes," Dexter said absentmindedly, continuing to study the window on the computer. "And it seems it had come from Alice."

"What do you suppose this means?" Computress questioned.

"It means that Alice has more tricks up her sleeves that even I don't know about," Dexter mumbled, his eyes revealing a glint of awe.

Computress just looked at the young genius questioningly before going back to work, allowing Dexter to handle it.

* * *

**A/N: Heeeeeere's Aku!**

**Interesting twist, eh? I hope you all enjoyed it and didn't see it coming. How will this affect Alice later on? And the war?**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	26. Cheese and a Beach

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and its little twist. How will this affect Alice and the story later on? Or in the future? You'll just have to stay tuned to see.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Six:** Cheese and a Beach

* * *

Dexter called two days after my fuse with Aku to see how we were doing. I hid the fact that Aku was embedded in my being; I didn't want this to be a public thing. He seemed to be skeptical of my answer that we were fine, but he seemed to accept it and continued on. Frankie had been spamming his inbox for him to find Cheese. Cheese had somehow made it out into the Darklands and was roaming around there somewhere. He asked us to find the Imaginary Friend and send him back to Foster's where he would be safe. From Dexter's tone, it was obvious to us that he hated Cheese. Why was unsure until we learned about what had been happening in the Darklands during the course of the war.

There was apparently a Battle of Hero's Hollow, which accounted for all the damaged and undamaged Dexbots, Mandroids, and S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s that littered the land last time we were there. It was a jointed attempt between Dexter, Mandark, and the Kids Next Door to contain the Monsters in the area, but due to Cheese, the battle was lost. It was very sad to think about it, but it made me wonder why Dexter didn't call us in to help. Did he not want me involved?

_**Are you feeling well Alice?**_ Arthena questioned as we used the Monkey Skyway for the Precipice.

_Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine,_ I responded.

_**You cannot lie to me, remember? What is the matter?**_

_It's... everything Arthena. This war. It's taking so much out of me. Every time I think we're getting ahead, making a difference, something comes up and only shows that are efforts are meaningless._ I answered, feeling distressed.

_**It is not meaningless, my dear. What you and everyone on planet Earth are doing is more than any planet has done in regards to this enemy planet. It may not seem like it right now, but little by little, you are winning this war. You have already killed 35 of his Fusions. You are crippling his forces.**_

_Do you really think we'll win?_

_**Of course. But in order to do so, you must believe you will.**_

I nodded to myself, which must have seemed odd since I wasn't talking out loud. No one in the area commented, so they probably weren't paying attention to my actions.

_I do._

**And **_**I **_**shall be here to assist, my dear.**

I was never going to get used to the fact that Aku and I were infused together. I didn't feel any different with him inside me, yet I could feel him within me. Arthena gave me her word she would never let him take over or hurt me, so I was not worried. It was still just very hard to get used to.

When we landed in the Precipice, we immediately headed for Hero's Hollow since that was the last place Cheese had been seen, and so it was the best place to look before we would move to another location. While looking for the Imaginary Friend, we caught sight of a group of Eyebulbs running after an object. We decided to see what it was they were chasing, and found that it was Cheese.

"He just loves causing trouble, doesn't he?" Brent questioned.

"Wouldn't be Cheese if he didn't," Trent responded.

"Unfortunately," Palmar added, taking out his weapon and firing at one of the Eyebulbs.

The chasing Monsters turned at the response of the hit and immediately headed our way. We took them down easily, saving Cheese who headed our way.

"Awh. The ponies," he whined.

"Come with us Cheese," Palmar ordered, sounding like he was reprimanding the Friend. "You've caused enough trouble in this war."

"But I want to see the ponies!" he whined.

"But don't you remember Cheese? There's ponies at Foster's," I persuaded.

It wasn't a total lie since there _were _Pegasus's there. Cheese perked up at the word.

"Chocolate milk?" he questioned.

"Yes. Chocolate milk too," I said.

"Yeah!" Cheese cheered.

"You need to come with us though, okay?" I said, holding out my hand.

Cheese made another whining noise, but eventually grabbed my hand. Just as we were heading into Huntor's Crest, my NanoCom went off.

"Yes Tetrax?" I asked as I looked at the NanoCom.

"Alice, are you still in Hero's Hollow?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good. I need you four to head into Green Maw and stop the Fusion. It just appeared on my scanner," he informed.

"Uhhh... can it wait?" Brent questioned.

"No. Take care of this, and then come back to the airship," Tetrax ordered. "Ending transmission."

"Well this is just great," Brent muttered. "Now we've got that little monster with us."

"Brent," I scolded, looking at Cheese.

I knew relatively little on Cheese since he was always running off in several directions at the Home. But by the look on his face, he didn't seem to have heard what Brent had said about him. Instead, he was talking to himself, muttering words like "I like ponies." He sounded strangely like Ed.

"Just deal with it," Palmar said. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we drop him off at the Home."

"Yeah yeah," Brent sighed, waving his hand. "Let's get this over with."

We entered the Green Maw Infected Zone, staring at the distant floating airship carrier. Around us, materials from Dexlabs, Mandark Ind., and the Kids Next Door floated in the zone. They looked like materials that were used during the battle that took place in the area next to Green Maw.

"So we got to head all the way over there?" Trent questioned.

"Man that's a long way down," Brent commented after looking over the edge of our floating platform.

"Alice, think you can fly us over there?" Palmar asked.

I nodded and floated into the air. A good distance away, I turned and formed a bubble-like shield around the four of them. I levitated them off the platform, and flew to the airship carrier. I placed them on the platform of the Dexlabs carrier and released them from the bubble. When I landed, I gripped Cheese's hand again, making sure he didn't run away since he seemed to want to. Once inside the lair, we moved through it, killing the Monsters like we always do. Except that Cheese was able to slip from my hand and began to run ahead of us, drawing the attention of the Fusion Monsters.

"Cheese! Come back here!" I ordered, following after him.

Cheese didn't seem to hear or care and simply continued to lead the way. The boys managed to divert the Monster's attention away from Cheese and placed it on themselves, allowing me to run after the Imaginary Friend. My blood ran cold when I heard him release a cry. I quickly followed his voice and found Fusion Tetrax stepping on Cheese's head.

"Leave him alone!" I screamed, sending a telekinetic blast.

The blast sent Fusion Tetrax back and away from the Imaginary Friend, hitting the wall of rock behind him. I placed a bubble around Cheese and moved him away from where he laid, keeping him safely behind me while I faced off against the Fusion. The Fusion snarled and lunged at me. I sent an energy-crescent blast at it, hitting it but not hindering it in its pursuit of attacking me. I threw up a shield at the last minute, managing to stop it from hitting me. It stumbled back in pain and released a snarl. Having been able to practice against the Fusions, I was getting better at killing them quickly.

I summoned Nano Jack and had him use his _Samurai Slash_ on the Fusion. The Fusion released another snarl and punched at my shield, trying to force it to break. I held my defense while Nano Jack switched out. In his place was Nano Numbuh Four, who used _Sabotage Strike_. The attack momentarily stunned Fusion Tetrax as it adjusted to the drain of energy from it, giving me enough time to send an energy beam, hitting the Fusion in the center of its chest with it. The result was that it turned into Fusion Matter and then into Nano Humongousaur. I smiled at him and cupped him in my palms.

"I'll never understand the DNA change," I said to it.

"Alice! Are you alright?" Palmar questioned as he and the boys approached.

"I'm alright. What of you three? You look hurt," I said.

"Yeah. Those Slag Cephalopods were more dangerous than we thought," Brent said with a wide grin. "But they stood no chance against us three."

I smiled at them, helping Cheese off the floor. I then summoned Nano Numbuh Three, who used _Share the Love_ on the four of them, healing their injuries. When she finished her job, I thanked her and sent her back to her NanoCom before we left the lair. After a long journey back, we left from Forsaken Valley to the Cul-de-Sac via the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and rode out to the Home on our vehicles. When we arrived at the gate of the Home, Frankie ran out to greet us.

"Cheese! What were you doing in the Darklands? You caused a lot of trouble," she scolded, wagging a finger in his face.

"Chocolate milk!" Cheese said, completely ignoring Frankie's scolding.

Frankie sighed.

"There's chocolate milk in the house, Cheese," she said.

"Yeah!" he cried, running into the house.

"Thanks for bringing him back, guys," she said with a tired smile. "Sorry if he gave you any trouble."

"He was fine," I said with a smile.

"Thanks again," she repeated. "Do you guys want some food? My grandmother just made some snacks."

"That sounds great," I said with a smile. "Thank you."

Madame Foster's snacks were delicious and easily filled us up. Eduardo was happy to see us, and while Mr. Herriman seemed to be happy to see us unharmed, he was not pleased to see that Cheese had returned. When we finished eating, Johnny called on my NanoCom.

"Yo. Bravo here. I've lost my things at the beach and now some Monsters have stolen them. Do you mind helping me find them?" he questioned.

"Sure," I said with a nod.

"Awh man! Can't that Elvis-wannabe take care of it himself?" Brent whined.

"Let's go Brent," Trent said, getting up from his seat.

"Thank you for the snacks," I said.

"Come back any time dear," Madame Foster said as we left the house.

* * *

Once we arrived at Bravo Beach, we found Johnny Bravo standing near the start of the beach sand.

"There ya are! I need your help. Those Sand Creeps have stolen my comb. Get it back for me," Johnny explained.

We found the Sand Creeps and began to attack them, looking for the comb. After the fifth Creep fell, we found the comb.

"Nice work!" Johnny hollered. "Now get the Beach Bullies. They stole my wallet."

"Why would they want _his_ wallet? I doubt he has any money in it," Brent commented as we headed for the Beach Bullies.

"These Monsters will steal anything," Trent replied.

Getting the wallet back was easier to get from the Bullies. With both items in hand, we returned to Johnny and handed him his items.

"Thanks. But I still need my jacket. A green-me-look-a-like stole it from me. He went over there," Johnny said, pointing to the Fusion Portal on the sand.

We headed into the Portal and killed the Squish Scalers that roamed the lair. We came upon Fusion Johnny, who was checking his hair in the hand mirror that he made out of Fusion Matter. We attacked with his back turned, catching him off guard. The Fusion snarled and threw the mirror at us. We dodged and it hit the wall.

"Dude. That's 7 years bad luck for you," Brent said to the Fusion.

"Sadly for you, you won't last that long," Trent commented, continuing to fire at the Fusion.

The Fusion released a cry, threw off Johnny's jacket, and lunged in our direction. We managed to dodge its advance and I ran for the jacket, picking it up. The Fusion growled somewhere behind me, causing me to turn. I was sucker punched on my right cheek, sending me to the ground. The Fusion snarled as it loomed over me. I turned and flattened my palm, sending an energy beam at Fusion Johnny, sending it into the air and fall to the ground. I quickly scrambled to my feet and sent an energy ball at the Fusion. The Fusion released a cry as it received an onslaught of attacks from my friends from behind and me from the front. In no time, the Fusion turned into Nano Johnny.

"Ain't I pretty?" he said before entering the NanoCom.

"Let's get the jacket back to Bravo," Palmar stated.

"Are you alright Alice? It kind of hit you pretty hard," Trent said as we headed for the exit.

"I'll be fine," I said with a smile. "It didn't hurt that much."

"Are you sure?" Trent questioned.

I nodded, looking over the jacket as we headed for Johnny. The jacket survived without getting a scratch on it. We gave it to Johnny, who looked happy to have it back. He left us and headed for Pop's Diner, hoping to avoid Carl and Suzy there. This left us to ourselves with nothing to do.

"So... Who wants to relax on the beach?" Brent questioned as he stretched.

* * *

**A/N: Cheese made an appearance. Sorry for this chapter being so short. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**We still have 4 more chapters to go, and five more Nanos.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	27. A Camp and Providence

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. We're slowly getting closer to the end. I know, it's really hard to believe, but please bare with me. Three Nanos are appearing in this chapter, along with a returned guest! Take a guess who it is.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Seven:** A Camp and Providence

* * *

Brent had been looking forward to spending some time relaxing on the beach, but that was stopped when Slinkman called. The camp was under attack again, and they needed our help. Without much argument from the boys, we headed off to Camp Kidney, arriving in no time to stop the ravaging of the camp.

To our surprise, the camp seemed to be better off than the last time we had shown up. Edward led the battle, spouting out encouragements and orders. May was very handy with a stick and was beating the Monsters to Matter. The Squirrel Scouts had obviously designed the tactics for their fighting since they seemed to be better off.

Once we finished off the rest of the attacking Monsters, my group and I searched out for the Bean Scouts. Their cabin had been attacked first, and no one had seen them since. We were able to stumble upon them just outside of the camp's boundaries, all of them unscratched.

"Are you three alright?" I asked.

"Yes," the Bean Scouts responded.

"But one of those creatures ran off with Lazlo's hat," Raj stated.

"Huh. I knew something about you looked off," Brent said.

"Don't worry Lazlo, we'll get it back," I said to the monkey with a smile.

"That's okay Alice, I have a spare," Lazlo said with a grin.

"Head back into the camp, kids," Palmar ordered. "It's safer there."

"Okie dokie," Lazlo said, him and his friends saluting before running towards the camp.

"Something is seriously wrong with those three," Brent commented.

"Leave them alone Brent," Trent warned mildly. "We have bigger things to take care of. "A Fusion?"

"Has to be," Palmar remarked, crossing his arms. "If a Monster has an item, chances are is that it'll become a Fusion."

"So we're now after a Fusion Lazlo," Brent said. "Where could he be?"

"We should check Leaky Lake," I responded. "That may be the place it would be."

"Considering the attack just happened, it couldn't have gotten far," Palmar said with a nod. "So let's go."

Getting to Leaky Lake was easy, as was entering it. There were fewer Fusion Monsters than I last remembered it. We found the Fusion Portal on one of the floating platforms. We entered the Portal, and was greeted by two Great Ironjaws. They shark-like creatures snarled at us, but we quickly silenced them and moved through the underground lair. We came into the clearing and found Fusion Lazlo. The Fusion turned at the sound of our footsteps, but turned away from us, focusing its attention on the hat that was in his hands.

"Hey!" Brent called, trying to get the Fusion's attention. "Hey!"

"I don't think he wants to talk to us," I said.

"Dude! He's blowing us off!" Brent ranted, glaring at Fusion Lazlo.

"Then let's take that as an advantage," Palmar said.

Nodding, I sent a crescent-shaped blast, causing the Fusion to release a cry of pain. I winced lightly since the Fusion was in the form of my friend. The Fusion turned and snarled at us, dropping the hat and run at us. We started firing at it, ending the Fusion's life easily as it had no real attack. The Fusion Matter morphed into Nano Lazlo. The little Nano jumped around in excitement.

"Haha. My name's Nano Lazlo," the little monkey Nano said with a grin. "What's your name?"

"I'm Alice Spacebyte, and these are my friends. Palmar Whitts, and Trent and Brent Gemini," I responded to the Nano.

"Ooooouuuuuhhh," the Nano said.

I sent the Nano into the NanoCom and grabbed the hat, placing it away in my bag. We left the Infected Zone and headed back to Camp Kidney, finding the campers from both camps fixing the damage. The Jelly Bean trio were on the outskirts of the camp, looking at a butterfly. Undoubtingly, Scoutmaster Lumpus had sent them to watch the insect. I loved the three dearly as my friends, but even I knew that they were useless when it came to helping.

"Alice!" the three cheered when they saw us, running up to us eagerly.

"You're okay," Lazlo said with a grin.

"We thought for sure you'd be hurt," Raj said.

"Hurt," Clam repeated, his grin on his face as well.

"O' little faith you have in us," Brent joked.

"Here's your hat Lazlo," I said, producing said item to the monkey.

"Thanks Alice!" Lazlo exclaimed with joy as he took his hat from my hands, and placed it back on his head.

"Now you look better," Brent commented.

"By the way Alice, a girl who knows you is here. She's in Scoutmaster Lumpus' cabin," the monkey explained.

"Who would be looking for you all the way out here?" Palmar questioned.

"Can't be Gwen," Trent muttered, though the statement ended like a question.

We walked to the cabin and knocked on it. Slinkman opened it for us, and allowed us in.

"Ah, there you are Miss Spacebyte," Lumpus said in a sort of greeting.

Before I could reply, a body of mass collided with me and nearly sent me to the ground. I was able to identify the person by their voice.

"It's so good to see you again Alice!" Mallory said.

"It's good to see you too, Mallory," I said with a smile, wrapping my arms around her to return the hug.

"He~y. Long time no see," Brent greeted.

"Hey you guys," Mallory greeted, loosening her grip on me.

"What brings you down to Camp Kidney?" Palmar asked with a good natured smile.

"You guys, actually," Mallory answered, turning serious. "Providence is being under attack, and we can use some back up."

"It's being under attacked?" Trent questioned in shock.

Mallory nodded.

"I was out in the Suburbs heading to Sector V to talk with Blossom when I got word from Holiday that the temporary base was under attack. I came here to ask for your help, since two Fusions were found roaming around," the pop-singer answered.

"Two more Fusions?" Palmar questioned.

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was thinking of the report that seemed to have happened weeks ago. Mallory nodded again.

"From the sounds of it, it's a Fusion Rex and a Fusion Six. Both sound like bad news," Mallory answered.

"Well we're more than happy to help!" Brent claimed with bravado.

"Cool! I got Six to lend me a jet, so we can use that to get us back to the base," Mallory grinned. "C'mon! I'll drive us there."

We somehow managed to all fit in the jet. We landed on the side of the Providence base, finding many agents standing around, creating a perimeter around the building to protect it from any more outside force. The building was covered in a good amount of Fusion Matter, and many of the doors and windows were busted.

"There you are Mallory. Took your time to get back," Rex commented as he ran up to us.

"Oh hush Rex. I brought us the arsenal," Mallory stated, waving a hand in our direction.

"Oh hey," Rex greeted, noticing us for the first time. "So you guys are here to exterminate some Fusions?"

"Yep. You called the right people to do so," Brent said.

"Great, because Six is saying I can't. He's busy keeping the stray Monsters from getting to White Knight. The Uno kid, the Scotsman, and the old man are already inside, taking out some of the Monsters that managed to sneak in. I was told to wait for you guys to show up," Rex stated.

"Where's Bobo and Dr. Holiday?" I asked.

"Dr. Holiday has been working at one of the hospital's for a while now so she's not here," Rex answered. "And as for Bobo..."

"Up here princess," Bobo said from above one of the heli-tanks.

"So anyways," Rex quickly claimed our attention, "we should be heading in to kick some Fusion butt."

"And what makes you think you're going to help?" Mallory questioned.

"Oh please. I know you're going to try to join in on this attack, so I'm going to too," Rex responded.

"You both can come, so stop bickering and let's go already," Palmar ordered.

Both Rex and Mallory nodded and followed behind us as we navigated through empty hallways. The heavier the presence of the Fusion Matter was known, the closer we knew we were getting to the Fusions. That is, until one of them decided to appear.

Fusion Rex had been hiding above us on the ceiling and jumped at us, managing to hit me on the shoulders. The instant contact burned, and luckily, Mallory had pulled me with enough force to rip me away from the burning touch. Nano Numbuh One immediately appeared and healed my burns, ridding me of my discomfort. I looked up to see Rex and his Fusion counterpart duking it out with the boys assisting. Mallory released her hold on me and sent a sonic scream at the Fusion, knocking it out of the hallway and into the room behind it. When he stood to its feet, I sent an energy blast at it, knocking it off its feet once more.

"You've gotten stronger," Mallory commented with a toothy grin.

"Thanks," I blushed under such compliments, but focused myself back on the battle at hand.

Fusion Rex seemed to take its time getting up and facing us.

"Man. And I thought you were stronger," Rex taunted as he and the boys ganged up on the Fusion.

I was about to send another attack when I heard the tell-tale signs of an eruption that a Fusion could cause.

"Move!" I screamed, immediately rolling away from where I thought the eruption would take place.

My warning came too late, and the boys were caught in the blast. They didn't seem to have gotten the worst of it, but they were knocked out. Mallory seemed to have reacted at about the same time I had, and was only affected by the aftermath of the eruption. I quickly got to my knees as I watched Fusion Rex step back into the hallway. He turned to regard Mallory who was still struggling to get to her knees. Fearing for my friend's life, I sent a telekinetic blast at it, catching its attention.

"Face me!" I ordered, getting to my feet.

The Fusion gave a smirk and immediately ran at me. I turned and ran away to draw the attacks away from my friends, and to give them time to recover. The Fusion followed without question, and for that I was grateful. However, I was lured into a trap, because I turned down a corridor that didn't lead to a dead end; it lead right into Fusion Six. I nearly stumbled over my own feet in an attempt to stop myself from crashing into the Fusion. Both the Fusions gave a sinister laugh as they began to close in on me. I backed myself into the wall and placed up my shields, hoping it would be good enough to protect myself. The Fusion Six, wielding a sword that I've seen Six wield, struck at my shield. I quickly called out Nano Humongousaur, who didn't need to be informed of the situation and used his _Ground Quake_ to throw the two Fusions off their feet. I then called out Nano Johnny, and made him use _Ain't I Pretty?_ to stun the two Fusions. This gave me enough time send two energy blasts at them. The stunning didn't last long enough, however, and the two Fusions attacked with anger, managing to break down my shield with their combined attacks. Fusion Six then proceeded to slice at my arm, only managing to get a cut on my arm as I dodged it. The force of trying to dodge was enough to send me on my back and look up at the two enemies trying to attack me. Once again, they released a sinister laugh, but they were cut off by a sonic scream that sent them flying away from me. I looked to see Mallory just a few feet from me, glaring with hatred at the Fusions.

"You will _not_ harm my friends," she declared with conviction.

She then ran to my side and helped me to my feet.

"You okay?" she asked.

I nodded and asked, "You?"

"I've been better. I would have been here sooner, but that attack got me more than I had assumed," she responded with a shrug. "So, you ready to take down these baddies?"

I smiled and nodded, turning my attention back to the Fusions that were once again trying to get to their feet. I raised my hand and forced the blade out of the Fusion's hand, sending it somewhere behind me. The Fusion growled, and launched at us. Quickly, Mallory sent a sonic scream while I used an energy blast on it. With our combined powers, the Fusion turned into Matter, and then into Nano Six. Without needing to give it a command, Nano Six used _Nanny Ninja_ and sent damage at Fusion Rex. The Fusion stumbled at the attack, but was turned into Matter when I sent an energy ball at it. The Fusion turned into Nano Rex, who had Smackhands and gave a celebratory fist pump. Nano Six just dragged him into the NanoCom, looking unamused.

"Man. That's still fun," Mallory commented as she stretched her arms over her body.

"We should go back to the others," I commented.

We found the boys just barely coming too, and quickly moved to help them. I called on Nano Lazlo and Nano Eduardo and had them heal the six of us. Once better, we moved through the base to inform Six that the Fusions were taken care of (for some reason, Rex's com wasn't working). Six stayed neutral once we found him and informed him of the update, but he did mention a "good job." That was enough from the stoic man. Once outside again, I saw Max, Numbuh One, and the Scotsman conversing with some agents, waving us over when they saw us.

"I knew you'd be here lassie," the Scotsman said with a smile.

"How many Fusions does that make it now?" Max asked.

I had to look at my Nanos to count them up, and responded with, "40."

"You're close to wiping out Fuse's army," Max commented.

"We're almost done to finish this war," Numbuh One said with a smile.

"You're going to get us to the victory line Alice!" Mallory said with a cheery tone, giving me a pat on the back.

I forced a shaky smile for them, but found myself not as happy as the others. Shouldn't I be happy?

* * *

"Are you alright Alice?"

I turned to regard my visitor with a surprised, questioning look. Night had befallen Townsville Park, and we were invited to stay at Providence for the night. Most of the rooms were still intact, and they had enough for four more people (besides, Mallory offered to share her room with me and the twins can share, and so Palmar would just need a spare). I had snuck away from the group to get some fresh air and think to myself, but it seems Palmar had followed me in concern.

"I'm fine," I answered.

Palmar didn't look convinced and furrowed his brow. It was obvious he wouldn't leave until I told him the truth, so I decided to. I released a shaky breath and looked away from him to look at the moon.

"I... I don't feel as excited as the others about the end of the war," I responded. "I don't know why. I _do_ want this war to be over... but I don't know why I'm not feeling excited."

"I do," Palmar responded. I could hear him stepping toward me until he sat down next to me. "We've been traveling together for a while now, and so I've gotten to know you better, and I can tell why. You're nervous. You're not sure on whether or not you'll be able to win this war."

I didn't say a thing because it was true. Would I be able to face Fuse and stop him? I released a quiet sigh and pulled my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

"You'll do fine though Alice," Palmar said, making me turn to look at him. He was smiling at me. "You're stronger than you think. You've done incredible things to win this war. And besides, you've got me and the boys to help you stop Fuse. We'll be able to win this war."

I smiled lightly and nodded, laying my head on my arms.

"Yeah," I whispered.

_Why don't I believe him?_

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh. Looks like Alice is about to fall into some doubt. This shall be fun. I hoped you enjoyed it, and enjoyed seeing Mallory again.**

**We still have 3 more chapters to go, and two more Nanos to get.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	28. Space Heroes

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. We're moving on, and this is the last chapter that has Alice gain Nanos. And by now, I think people can guess which two Nanos are about to appear (the two I want desperately in this game!). We're almost finished with the story so just hang on a little while longer. The real action begins next chapter.**

**Note: Command center and command deck will be used interchangeably; same with hospital ward, hospital wing, and med bay.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Eight:** Space Heroes

* * *

Numbuh 362 sighed as she watched her subordinates work feverishly on their computer systems. Much like what was occurring on the Earth, the Fusion Matter coming from the planet was interfering with their 2x4 systems. On some days, all systems would be working; on others, they'd be down. Being so close to Planet Fusion affected them terribly, and it was causing the Soopreme Leaduh to age quickly. Some of the senior officers were doing their best to regulate the work to keep her away from the stress, but it wasn't enough. She still had to watch over her workers, and some of them hadn't returned to Earth yet; their parents were already informed, but it was still a straining ordeal.

Sighing again at hearing Numbuh 86's yell, Numbuh 362 sat heavily in her seat, wondering how far they'd get before Fuse took over the moon completely. By some miracle, there wasn't any real attack on them like the Earth had suffered some three months ago (although, from what was gathered in their brief open window to speak with Earth, that had stopped thanks to Alice setting up the totems). While everything else was down, their defense system was thankfully still online since the main generators were hooked up to it. With the defense still on, the Moonbase could still protect itself against the invading planet. But once again, Numbuh 362 had no idea for how much longer they'd be able to hold off the alien planet.

"Numbuh 90210," Numbuh 362 said when she saw him enter the command center, "What is the diagnosis on our three guests?"

"They are waking up now. I've left my nurses in charge of watching over them until I returned," the eleven year old doctor responded to his commander's inquiry. "I came up to ask if you wanted to see them."

Numbuh 362 nodded and left the center in Numbuh 86's control. When the two operatives arrived in the hospital ward, Numbuh 362 was greeted by two teenagers who stood at attention when she entered. Pushing aside her distrust of teenagers, Numbuh 362 nodded her head in their direction.

"You can stand down," she said. "You two are not really under my orders."

"It's to show we mean no disrespect," Dark answered her.

"And to show that we mean no harm," Alexis piped up. "You two came back just in time too. Betty is waking up."

Numbuh 362 moved to the side, and saw that Betty was awakening from her very long coma. The Galactic Guardian slowly opened her eyes and looked around before shooting up in her bed, looking startled. Alexis quickly pushed her back down.

"Easy now. You're going to give yourself a headache doing that," Alexis chastised as she looked at her.

"Where am I?" Betty asked. "What happened to my team? And how did I get here?"

"Easy questions to answer," Alexis responded with a nod at Numbuh 362.

"You're in the medical wing of our Kid's Next Door Moonbase," Numbuh 362 answered. "Your team is here as well, and they are being treated. My doctor says that they will wake up any time now. As for how you got here, a girl named Alice and her friends found your crash landed ship and brought you to the hospital in Offworld Plaza. You and your crew were moved here a few days ago to help make room for the war victims."

"That's right," Betty whispered. "I was returning to Earth to assist against Planet Fusion when we were attacked. We must have been knocked out."

"You and your crew are very lucky. None of you were badly injured, which is why you were brought here," Numbuh 90210 added.

"Thank you for your hospitality. When my crew and I are better, we'll be leaving," Betty said.

"There's no hurry. Besides, your ship is still being worked on down on Earth," Dark answered. "Ben hasn't replied back on when it will be ready."

"And we have received no words from Dexter," Numbuh 362 added. "At the moment, we won't know when we will be. When we do, we'll alert him of your status. In the meantime, it would be beneficial to everyone if you rest."

Betty nodded. At that moment, an operative ran in, out of breath from his sprint from the command deck to the hospital wing.

"Sir!" the operative cried. "You have to come see this. Something massive is heading straight for Earth!"

Numbuh 362, Betty, Alexis, Dark, Numbuh 90210, and the other operative ran onto the command deck, watching from the view screen as a massive ship (still small compared to the Earth, but still big enough to be considered massive), completely covered in Fusion Matter but also missing parts, headed straight for Earth. The tip of the ship was already entering the atmosphere, and that was all that could make it in. A bright light appeared and created a sphere around the Earth, protecting it from the other broken pieces that were now reduced to float in space.

"What was that sir?" an operative at his station asked, turning in his chair to look up at his leader.

"I don't know, but I want to find out," Numbuh 362 said. "Numbuh's 229 and 122. I want you two to gather a piece of that ship so we can examine it."

Both operatives stood to their feet, and saluted their leader.

"Yes sir!"

"Do you think it's a foe?" Betty questioned.

"For the Earth's sake, I hope not," Numbuh 362 responded gravely.

"You are in luck then. That ship is not an enemy," a new voice said from behind the group.

Numbuh 362, and the others, turned to see the newest guest. The Soopreme Leaduh's eyes widened as she stared at a boy who stared back at her through his sunglasses.

"Numbuh Infinity?"

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

It was the sound of something that was similar to a loud explosion that woke us up in the morning. Mallory nearly fell out of her bed as I sat up in my own. We both ran out into the hallway to see from the windows that something bright entering through the atmosphere. We stared in shock, hardly noticing the boy's arrivals. The thing, looking to be part of a spaceship, was on a direct course for Tech Square. We were unsure if it would actually hit the place, but we continued to watch it until it was out of our sight. Once we couldn't see it anymore, we immediately ran for the nearest T.V., finding Six and Bobo already viewing the incident on the screen. The news was able to catch the ship part hit the waters next to Galaxy Gardens, and Dexbots were already on the scene trying to find if there was a living body in the ship.

The camera was able to zoom in on the side of the spaceship, revealing the letters: ABSO. I couldn't make out the rest of the letters since it was probably on another piece of the ship, but I did feel a pull to it. Was it an alien tech? We watched it for a few more seconds before my NanoCom went off; I've trained myself to always reach for my NanoCom and keep it on my hip. It was Dexter, asking me to go and check out the ship. I agreed and promised to return when it was over. I left Providence and arrived at Galaxy Gardens in no time, and began to help with the salvaging. When I entered the ship, I found myself in the control center. Slumped over a seat was a suit of armor, and in the armor's hand was a small circular device. I placed the body in a sphere and lifted it into the sky, pulling it with me as I left the ship. The Dexbots had pre-warned me that there seemed to only be one life-source, and so I went for it.

I brought the body to City Station's hospital since it was the closest hospital. I alerted Dexter of where I took it and waited for the doctor's diagnosis. Dexter arrived by time the doctor returned.

"Were you the one who brought the body in?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"I am afraid you will have to take it somewhere else," the doctor said.

_Oh no. Is he dead?_ I thought with some fear.

"What happened? Is he alright?" I asked.

"The he in question isn't human, nor is he a humanoid," the doctor asked. "He's a machine."

I didn't see that coming. I blinked and nodded.

"Okay," I said.

"Bring him to Dexlabs," Dexter spoke up from beside me, having been silent since arriving. "I'll be able to stabalize him, and hopefully get him to wake up."

I brought the body to Dexlabs and hoped there was enough time. On my journey to Tech Square, I was able to see what had become of the alien ship. The ship had finally hit the bottom, leaving a small part of the ship poking out of the blue water. Dexter and Computress had set up their med bay for the body and hooked him up to it immediately. I stood on the sidelines, not knowing what to do. DeeDee, who had come to Tech Square to visit her brother, kept me company.

"I wonder what happened to him," DeeDee pondered.

"Part of his ship looked like Fusion Matter hit it," I said. "I think he went up against Fuse."

DeeDee looked worried as she looked at him. I too began to worry when it turned into an hour and there was still nothing. Dexter was trying to figure out the circular device, but nothing seemed to have worked. Computress continued to keep an eye on the body before she looked up from the clipboard.

"Dexter. The body is activating," Computress announced.

Dexter went to the body's side as the machine was activating. The body attempted to sit up, but Computress pushed him back down.

"Where am I?" the body asked, revealing his male voice.

"You are in my lab on the planet Earth," Dexter responded. "My name is Dexter."

The head was looking at Dexter before saying, "So you're the kid we sent the video to."

"That was you?" Dexter asked in surprise.

The robot attempted another sit up, and was able to do so.

"Yeah. Name's Toonami Operation Module, but you can call me Tom," Tom said, before looking around his surroundings. "Where's my ship, the Absolution?"

"Part of it is in the water," Dexter answered. "The rest is unknown."

"Dang. Now I need to get the Mark III," Tom muttered to himself. "Where's Sara?"

"Sara?" Dexter asked.

"Yeah. She's the ship's AI," Tom answered. "I had her back-up into her memory chip."

"This?" Dexter asked as he presented the circular device.

Tom took the device and pressed the center of it. A white light began to glow from the device before a female AI appeared like a hologram.

"Greetings Tom, and others," the AI, Sara, said. "I am surprised your plan had worked."

"My plans always work," Tom responded.

Sara made a hum like she wanted to argue the point, but dropped it as she looked around.

"The ship is destroyed," she informed.

"Yeah. Just found out. Mind calling the Federation and have them set up for a new ship?" Tom asked.

"I will see what I can do. Until then, I shall go into hibernation," Sara said, disappearing without another word.

"Guess I'll be here until I can get a new ship," Tom stated, getting off the bed that he had been on. "How's the war with Fuse coming along?"

"We're nearly ready to defeat Fuse," Dexter answered.

I worried my bottom lip at hearing Dexter's answer. It only reminded me of my responsibilities. What if I failed? A hand on my shoulder made me come out of my thoughts.

"Alice, are you alright?" DeeDee asked. She was worried and I felt bad for doing that to her. I felt bad whenever I made someone worry about me.

"I'm fine. Just thinking," I responded. "I need to call my friends. I forgot to tell them that I was here."

I was about to head out to call Providence when a Dexbot rushed in. The bots never had any emotions for their faces, but the simple speed at which it was going alerted everyone that it was urgent.

"Dexter. A Fusion Monster has escaped from the sunken ship," the Dexbot informed.

"The Matter. It must have gotten one of your items and made a Fusion," Dexter said, looking briefly to Tom before his eyes flickered to me.

I nodded, immediately running out of the building and grabbing my NanoCom while simultaneously searching out for the Fusion. It didn't take long for Providence to pick up, and it was a masked agent that appeared on the other side.

"Who are you and state your-" he was promptly pushed out of his seat by Mallory.

"Alice! Where have you been?" the pop star urgently asked.

"There's no time. I need the boys to head for," I paused as I continued to search out for the Fusion. It was moving fast! "I need them to head to Offworld Plaza. A Fusion is in that area."

"The boys overheard and are on their way. Good luck!" she hung up.

"I'm going with you," Tom's voice said from behind me.

I turned to look at him, but since he wore a helmet, I couldn't see his eyes (or if he even had eyes).

"Are you sure? You may need to rest," I said.

"I'm a robot; I'll be fine. I can't let someone go around using my name," Tom said with determination.

I couldn't really argue with him, so I agreed and allowed him to come. I placed him in my bubble-sphere again and flew us to the Hospital, getting their faster than the boys. We landed somewhere beside Ben, who promptly ran up to us.

"Hey Alice, are you here to fight that Fusion that just ran by?" Ben asked.

I nodded.

"How many will that make once you beat it?" Ben asked.

"41," I responded.

Ben whistled and nodded.

"That's a lot of Fusions," he commented.

The boys arrived at that moment, and introductions were quick. With all that aside, we headed into the Infected Zone.

"Where is this thing?" Tom asked.

I closed my eyes and tried to feel out for the Portal. It was getting easier and easier to find them, but it still took up a lot of my concentration.

"The Portal is high up, to the left," I answered by pointing in the general direction.

Brent whistled, "That's a long way to go."

I smiled at him.

"Not really."

I constructed a bubble that encased around them. Once sure they were secure, I brought them behind me to where the Portal laid. Once we arrived, I placed them safely on the ground and removed the bubble.

"Your powers are definitely cool," Brent commented with a smile.

I smiled at him with a small blush before entering the Portal. Tom looked around in wonder.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"In Fusion Tom's lair," Palmar answered.

"That thing made it quickly then," Tom stated.

"That seems to be a power of theirs," Trent commented.

"No offense, but let's get this done! I want to kick some Fusion butt!" Brent said with a fist pump.

"Nice spirit," Tom commented as he began to walk through the underground lair.

"Be careful for Fusion Monsters," I warned our accompanying body.

"Like those?" Tom questioned as he pointed at a pair of Thuggards.

"Yep," Brent said as he brought out a Sunny Side Bomb and threw it at the pair.

The pair was hit and immediately headed for us. Tom didn't look to be worried; if anything, he looked almost excited, if his body language was anything to go by.

"This will be good," he said as he got into a stance and shot at the oncoming Monsters.

Brent and Tom were able to get rid of the Monsters on their own, allowing Palmar, Trent, and me to move on and defeat some of the other Monsters that stood in our way. All five of us made it towards the clearing without a scratch.

"This your normal jobs?" Tom questioned as we advanced to the location of the Fusions.

"Pretty much," Trent responded.

"Must be fun," Tom responded back.

I wasn't sure if he was joking or not, so we let it drop as we faced a Fusion version of Tom. The Fusion had weird looking things moving around it. I didn't recognize the three that looked like floating TVs, but Tom did.

"He's got the Clydes," he muttered.

"Clydes?" I asked.

"Yeah; They're helpers of mine on the Absolution," Tom answered.

"Enough chatting, more fighting," Brent said.

"Bossy," Trent muttered under his breath, but he followed his brother's lead.

We began to fire at Fusion Tom and Fusion Clydes. The Fusion Clydes were handled by Palmar and the twins while Tom and I faced the Fusion version of him. Fusion Tom was smarter than other Fusions I had faced, and was moving around more, dodging our hits, but we were able to still get some hits on it. The Fusion was a good shot, being able to target us with near pinpoint-accuracy.

"Are these Fusions always so hard to beat?" Tom asked during his firing.

"Sometimes," I answered.

I called out Nano Double-D, and he immediately used his _Sugar Rush_, which was able to slow down the Fusion, allowing us to hit it easier. Fusion Tom released a mechanical snarl and lunged at us, though with the snare, he was moving slowly. I switched out Nano Double-D for Nano Coco. Nano Coco used her _Egg Bomb_ once she appeared, stunning Fusion Tom in its spot. This gave us the chance to shoot it, and after a few hits, the Fusion Tom turned into a Nano Tom.

"Greetings," Nano Tom greeted as he circled around us.

"What's that?" Tom asked.

"It's a Nano version of you," I answered as I cupped the Nano in my hands.

"So a Nano huh?" Tom said, looking at the Nano.

"Sweet. We've got a new Nano," Brent commented as he, his brother, and his friend arrived.

Nano Coco and Nano Tom disappeared into the NanoCom at Brent's comment.

"So now what?" Tom questioned.

"We head to Dexlabs," Palmar answered. "We've stopped the Fusion, so there's no reason for us to be here."

We left the Portal, the Infected Zone, and headed back to Dexlabs. When we entered, we found Dexter studying what was on his computer screen. The screen was a video feed of the Earth, and from where we were standing, we saw that the screen contained debris.

"The debris is from your ship," Dexter said without turning to look at us, addressing Tom.

Tom made a low whistle as he stepped forward.

"Yep. The Feds won't be too happy with me," Tom stated to himself.

A little beeping noise pulled our attention to the screen. Dexter typed on the keyboard and brought up a pop-up screen with Numbuh 362's face on it.

"Dexter, we need Alice to come to the Moonbase," Numbuh 362 stated.

"Right now?" Dexter questioned.

"Yes," Numbuh 362 responded.

"Alright," Dexter said with a nod. "I'll send her over there in a moment." With that, he closed the pop-up.

Dexter turned to look at us and motioned for us to follow. We said goodbye to Tom, and followed him into another room with four pairs of pads; one of each pair was on the ground, and other on the ceiling. Dexter motioned us to them.

"What is this?" Brent asked from where he stood on a pad.

"It's a transporter pad I've made to transfer between the Earth and Moonbase," Dexter responded from behind a console.

"Is it safe?" Trent responded.

"You're my first test subjects," Dexter responded casually, making me worried.

Before the twins, who looked livid, could argue with Dexter, we saw a blinding light that made us cover our eyes. When the light died down, we found ourselves in another room, with a Kids Next Door operative behind a console similar to the one Dexter had.

"They made it through Dexter," the numbered operative said.

"Of course they would! My inventions are top notch!" Dexter said from the other line of the conversation before the operative ended it.

"Follow me," the operative said, motioning for us to do as he ordered.

We followed the kid operative, looking around the Moonbase as we followed him. Brent stopped when we passed a large windowt that revealed the space outisde. His eyes were wide, causing us to stop and wait for him.

"Man. I never knew space was so big," Brent stated to the group as he caught up.

"It's why it's called space," Trent muttered.

We entered what I considered the command center and was met with Numbuh 362, and another operative that had sunglasses. Standing beside Numbuh 362 was Alexis, Dark, and the girl I remembered seeing in the crashed spaceship; if I remember her name correctly, it was Betty.

"Hey Alice, boys," Alexis greeted. "Welcome to the party."

Dark just nodded in greeting while Betty smiled. The other boy stepped forward, coughing into his fist.

"Let me introduce myself," the boy said. "I am Numbuh Infinity. I am in need of your help."

"Shoot," Brent said, earning himself a glare from his twin.

"My scanners have picked up our presence of one of our operatives for the Galactic Kids Next Door," Numbuh Infinity said.

"What's that?" Palmar questioned.

"Confidential," Numbuh Infinity responded coolly. "The operatives' life signature is somewhere in Hero's Hollow. I need you to go and find the operative and bring him back to the Moonbase. You may use this to find him. It is already locked onto his signature."

I took the tracker from the other operative and plaed it on my hip.

"Who is the operative?" Trent asked.

"Chad Dickson. But he also goes by his number, Numbuh 274," Numbuh Infinity answered.

I felt my lungs tighten at the mention of his name. Memories of the first day of Fuse's invasion sprung to my mind as I remembered how he had been consumed by the Fusion minions, and disappeared. But he was alive now?

"Alice? Alice are you alright?" I heard Numbuh 362 asked.

I straightened up and nodded, trying to recover quickly while keeping my eyes off of them.

"I-I'm fine," I answered to the leader of the Kids Next Door.

Numbuh 362 didn't look like she believed me, but she nodded.

"I'll have Numbuh 1701 transport you near the entrance of the Hero's Hollow," she said. "When you've found the missing operative, call us and we'll beam you back up."

I nodded numbly, following Numbuh 1701 again.

"Are you alright Alice?" Palmar asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I answered, avoiding eye contact.

"You're lying," Palmar responded.

"Don't push her! She'll tell us when she's ready!" Brent said, standing up for me.

Palmar scowled lightly, but nodded. I felt bad for causing a rift again and sighed silently under my breath.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's alright, Alice," Trent said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I saw Numbuh 274 be consumed by Fusion Matter," I responded.

The three boys (and perhaps the operative too) fell silent as we headed into the transporter room. We stepped onto the pad, and appeared at the entrance of Hero's Hollow. I held the tracker in my hand and followed it to where the tracker said Numbuh 274 was being held. We stayed silent for most of the trip, and as we got closer to the source, I could feel the familiar pull I had when around a Fusion. In a matter of minutes, we were standing face-to-face with a Portal.

"Another Fusion to take care of," Brent commented.

"And this one is holding a person hostage," Trent added.

"Let's go then," Palmar stated, stepping onto the Portal's pad.

I turned off the tracker and followed. We moved through the underground lair, coming across no Monsters, which was somewhat odd. We were continuing down our way when we were stopped by the sound of something hitting against metal. We followed the source of the sound, coming to find Numbuh 274, still in full armor from when I last saw him. He was using his shoulder to hit the metal bars, hardly noticing us as he continued his task.

"Let. Me. Out!" he ordered as he tried to exit the cell.

"No worries dude. We're the cavalry," Brent said with a smile, his fists placed on his hips in a heroic pose.

Numbuh 274 stopped his hitting and turned to look at us. He didn't look so sure.

"Who are you four?" he questioned.

"We're your rescue team," Brent said.

"_Who_ are you?" Numbuh 274 questioned again, his voice sounding tight.

"My name's Alice," I greeted. "These are my friends, Palmar, Trent, and Brent."

Numbuh 274 turned to regard me curiously.

"You've changed since the last time I've met you," he said.

I smiled tightly as I looked at him.

"Yes. I've discovered a lot," I said. "Please stand back."

He did as I requested, and after calling on Arthena's help, I was able to deform the bars enough to let him get out. He dusted himself off once he was out of his cage.

"Thanks for the help. You have a plan for getting us out of here?" he asked as he looked at us.

"Yes, but we have to stop the Fusion that's here," I answered.

"Sounds good," Numbuh 274 said, taking out his weapon. "Lead the way."

We continued through the lair and made our way to the clearing, finding Fusion Numbuh 274 standing around with its own weapon in its hand. Turning at the sound of our approach, he shot at us, sending Fusion Matter balls in our direction. We fired back in response. The Fusion was hit by all five of us, and changed shape in a matter of moments, changing from a Fusion to a Nano Numbuh 274.

"I'm a Soopreme Leaduh," the Nano said before disappearing.

"Now we can leave?" Numbuh 274 questioned.

I nodded and we left, standing outside the Portal once we were done. I brought out my NanoCom and called Numbuh 362. Within a matter of seconds, we disappeared from Hero's Hollow and appeared in the Moonbase. The operative gave a salute to Numbuh 274, which surprised him.

"Good work," Numbuh 362 said as we entered the command center.

I was surprised to see the group from before, along with Numbuh One there. Even he seemed surprised.

"It's good to see you again Numbuh 274," Numbuh Infinity said to his operative.

"They can't keep me down," Numbuh 274 said with a grin. "But thanks for the assistance Alice."

I smiled lightly at him.

"It wasn't any trouble," I said.

"Good work Alice," Numbuh One said, making me look at him.

He wasn't looking at him, but he seemed relaxed, and he looked like he was almost smiling. I smiled lightly again. Perhaps things in this war were changing for the better.

* * *

**A/N: Haha! Tom and Numbuh 274 have appeared! We're now down with gaining new Nanos, but we still have two chapters left. Can you believe it? The next one will be longest, so I hope you'll enjoy!**

**Also, if this chapter sounded a bit Star Trek-ish, It's mostly because I'm writing my argument essay on it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	29. Going Down 1 of 2

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Okay, so I know this is supposed to be the almost-to-last chapter, but I decided to split up the into two. This is mainly about the set-up for the fight with Fuse, and we get to see what some of the other characters are doing in their areas.**

**Note: An OC of mine will be making an appearance for a short moment. Also, another OC owned by Minni Dani Doofenshmirtz has appeared.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Twenty Nine:** Going Down (1 of 2)

* * *

Something was burning in my stomach, but I wasn't sure what it was. The Moonbase was exceptionally silent as Earth began a new day (the only way to know was because the time on the Moonbase was in sync with Earth's time), and the Moonbase had yet to begin the work day. The silence worried me, as I stared out the window of the observation deck. It left a feeling of foreboding in my stomach. I placed my hand on the window and watched the sun rise over the horizon of the Earth, with part of the light hitting Planet Fusion, illuminating it for everyone to see.

I was scared.

* * *

The meeting that the Moonbase had set up in one of their large conference rooms had started out rather... comical. Numbuh 274 had been invited to the meeting, and it was supposed to begin, but a teen my age had burst into the room with a boy the same age following behind her. The purple-haired teen (I learned her name to be Ariana from Numbuh One) zeroed in on Numbuh 274 and lifted him out of his seat by the front of his shirt, shaking him as she began to speak angrily to him.

"Chad, you no brained jock! How could you go into hiding insensitive creep!" Ariana seethed angrily. "Do you not care for your sister and your friends?"

"Ariana, I think we're interrupting something," Maurice (I learned his name from Numbuh One too) said, trying to save Numbuh 274 from Ariana's wrath.

The other girl sent him a glare and continued her task of shaking the other boy.

"Do you know how much trouble you put your sister through?" Ariana questioned in anger.

"Are you going to let me speak?" Numbuh 274 questioned back smartly. "Or are you going to keep shaking me like a rag doll?"

I closed my eyes in an attempt to suppress a groan, but the other occupants of the conference room didn't bother to hold back theirs. Ariana looked incensed all over again and shook him harder. She was only stopped once Maurice and Numbuh One pulled her away from Numbuh 274. She still looked angry, but she was calming down. This did not mean Maurice or Numbuh One would release her until they were sure.

"Ariana, I need you and Maurice to go back to Earth and keep an eye on Sector V," Numbuh 362 said, shifting the attention away from what had just occurred.

"What for?" Ariana questioned, switching from being furious to being serious.

"We're mounting an attack on Fuse, and I have a feeling he will be trying a last-chance attack," Numbuh 362 replied.

"This is why I am having guards stationed in all areas," Dexter responded. "I have already chosen who will be stationed where. You and Maurice will be in Sector V. Head down there immediately so we may actually begin this meeting."

Ariana sent a glare before turning and leaving the room with Maurice following her. Once the excitement from the incident died down, and more members for the meeting showed up, Numbuh 362 was able to begin the meeting. At the meeting were as followed: myself, Palmar, the twins, Numbuh 274, Tom, Betty, Numbuh 362, Numbuh Infinity, Numbuh 86, Numbuh One, Viper and her gang, Dexter, Mandark, Double-D, Ben, Mojo, Mallory, Rex, Alexis, Dark, Jack, Max, the Scotsman, Vilgax, Professor Utonium, Blossom, Mandy, Hoss, and Juniper. At the front was Numbuh 362, bringing the meeting to a start.

"You all know why you are here," she began, looking around the room with a serious air about her. "Fuse is weakened, but our scanners have shown that he is not giving up. Our guess is that he is waiting for the perfect moment to unleash all his power on the Earth, and we believe he is going to attack soon."

"You have all been brought here to be informed, and to help mobilize for the final attack from Fuse," Dexter continued, standing up and walking to the front. "We have already assigned a specific team to infiltrate Fuse's Lair. This team will consist of the following: Alice, Palmar, the twins Brent and Trent, Betty, Chad, Tom, Viper, Ace, Holden, Dark, Alexis, and Mallory. You thirteen will be transported to Forsaken Valley, and from there, a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. will take you to just outside Fuse's Lair, and you will face Fuse once and for all." Despite his roaming eyes, he seemed to focus on me at the last of the sentence. This caused me to gulp quietly. It went unnoticed as he continued, "We are unsure if we on the outside will be able to hear from you once you're inside, but we will equip each of you a communicator so that there is still a sense of communication amongst your group. Have I made myself clear, or are there any questions?"

"What if this plan of yours fails?" Vilgax questioned gruffly.

Why, oh why, did he have to ask _that_ question? This simple question brought up the nervousness I had been feeling since the beginning of the war, and hearing it in the open caused my chest to tighten. I looked up at Dexter, who seemed to visibly frown in Vilgax's direction.

"If the group fails, then it will be the end of the war," Dexter answered. "Fuse will win."

I bolted. I literally got up from my seat and ran out of the room with a few people calling after me. I ignored the calls and continued down the halls, avoiding any of the operatives that were in my way until I found a safe place to hide. I leaned against a wall and pulled my legs to my chest, trying my hardest to steady my breathing. My heart was beating faster than I've ever felt it before, and I tried to use the methods my mother had taught me. I hadn't even felt any presence until a hand was laid on the top of my head. Jumping from shock, I looked up to see four pairs of compassionate eyes. Viper removed her hand from my head and sat down next to me, leaning her back against the wall.

"I-I'm so-"

"You don't need to apologize," Alexis said quickly, placing on a smile.

Mallory nodded at me from her place beside Alexis.

"There's no need for it. We know you're going through some turmoil right now," she said.

"It's okay to express your feelings on the matter, you know," Betty spoke up.

I looked between all four of them, surprised by their responses. Viper offered me a small smile.

"Honestly, if you weren't worried, _I'd_ be worried," Viper said. "This is a big responsibility, and it shouldn't be taken lightly. The fact that you are worried reassures me that you know your responsibility and how important it is."

"Yeah. If you don't act the way you have, I'd be worried that you turned into Rex," Mallory joked with a light smile.

"But we're here to tell you that you don't need to do it alone," Viper continued.

"We're part of your team now, and teammates help each other out," Betty added. "We'll be here for you no matter what."

"But you're a strong girl," Alexis said. "From what I've seen and heard about you, you can do remarkable things. There's no way you'll lose to Fuse."

"But what if I fail?" I questioned with fear. "What if I _do_ fail and Fuse wins?"

"We can't live on what ifs," Viper answered, placing her hand on my shoulder. "We have to live in the here and now. And right now, we need you mentally ready for this fight."

I looked at the four girls before me and felt myself begin to calm down. What was I thinking? Having a mental breakdown just before an important battle? Real smart of me. I needed to be strong because everyone needed me. I couldn't afford to wallow in self-pity. Nodding to myself, I looked up at them again.

"Thank you," I said. "I... Thank you."

Mallory's lips widened into a bright smile as she bent down and hugged me.

"Any time Alice. You're my friend, and I'll always be here to help you out," she said, pulling back to smile at me, "We all are."

"Excuse me," an operative said, coming to a stop and looking at us. "You are needed back at the conference room. Fuse has begun his attack."

* * *

**Sector V**

"Here they come!" Numbuh Two called as he looked up from his 2x4 technology.

"Let 'em come," Ariana muttered, tightening her fists as she watched Fuse's legions rise up to attack.

"I hope I haven't missed anything," Blossom said as she flew to stand beside the three atop the floating piece of land.

"Nothing yet," Maurice commented.

"Hold on! I'm picking up something else on the scanner!" Numbuh Two announced.

"Who else is coming?" Maurice questioned, turning to look back at Blossom who was already using her vision and hearing to listen for any sounds.

Blossom was silent for a half a minute before anger appeared in her eyes. Before the three humans could question the renowned super-heroine, their answer appeared. Brick landed off to the side of the Uno house, looking at the four fighters that stood along the edge. Blossom immediately confronted the other teen.

"What are you doing here?" Blossom demanded.

"Seeing as I have a problem with Fuse, I've come to help," Brick responded coolly.

"We don't need you, thanks," Ariana said sarcastically.

"You don't even have a weapon," Brick responded.

"Don't need it," Ariana muttered, turning to face the approaching minions.

Blossom narrowed her eyes at the Rowdyruff, but turned to focus her attention on the legion.

"Go to City Station," Blossom ordered. "We have it covered here."

Brick glared at her back, but decided it would be better to assist Downtown, so he left.

"Now then," Blossom began in a commanding voice. "Attack!"

* * *

**Peach Creek Commons**

"Rangers! Attack!" Rolf ordered as the Cul-de-Sac became under attacked.

"Don't let them take my kingdom!" Eddy ordered.

"I'm sorry, but shouldn't we get to somewhere safe?" Wilt asked Eddy in the middle of the siege.

"Good point. I don't want my good looks to be messed with," Eddy said to himself. "To safety!"

"Marie! Get me my gun," Lee ordered out at Park 'n' Flush.

"Get it yourself!" Marie shouted as she shot at the Monsters advancing towards her station.

* * *

**Peach Creek Estates**

The Delightful Children, surprisingly, were fighting back against the Monsters with Father beside them. Between them, Father was doing better against the attacking Monsters.

"Get away from my development!" Father ordered as his body was engulfed by flames.

The Delightful Children were doing fine by themselves, but they were nowhere near as good as their father. They hadn't even seen the Crash Loader that had tried to sneak up upon them from behind. They only noticed it when they heard it fall behind them, having been shot by another person. Turning, only one of the children seemed happy to see the fighter.

"Pay more attention you guys," the fighter, Blair Sugarheart, said with a grin on her face.

"Blair!" they said as one. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like you guys? I'm helping you out," Blair said as she leaned her Brocoloid lazily against her leg. She raised it again as her grin widened, "Now then, enough talking and more fighting!"

* * *

**Foster's Home**

"Get back!" Frankie shouted as she waved her broom in the face of the Monsters.

"Miss Francis, that is not what a broom is used for," Mr. Herriman scolded from the safety of the porch.

"Are you serious? I'm holding off these Monsters and you have the nerve to criticize me?" Frankie demanded as she slapped an Extremospawn on the face.

Eduardo shivered behind the front door while the other Imaginary Friends watched on. Any that could fight stepped up to protect their home, but the others stayed inside where it was safe. Madame Foster, dressed in her ninja outfit and with nun chucks in her hands, shuffled onto the porch.

"Madame Foster! I must request you return to the house," Mr. Herriman said with worry towards his creator.

"Not with these creatures near _my _home!" Madame Foster retaliated, already knocking out some of the Scribble Spawns.

"Go grandma!" Frankie cheered her grandmother as she continued to defend the house.

* * *

**Goat's Junkyard**

"This is so not cool!" Jamie remarked from the top of the trailer, using the Mega Pulse Cannon provided by Dexter weeks in advance.

"Stop whining Jamie and keep fighting," Kiva shouted at him, shooting at the oncoming Monsters with skill.

"Man. I wish we had Megas," Coop remarked as he helped his friends defend his home.

* * *

**Genius Grove**

"Numbuh Five thinks this is a pathetic attempt on Fuse's part," Numbuh Five stated as she shot a Tech Wing, turning it into Fusion Matter.

"It does seem unnecessary," Utonium, in his own Dynamo suit, remarked as he punched a Tech Tunneler. "But this is Fuse's attempt to overpower us."

"Numbuh Five doesn't think it is working," Numbuh Five remarked.

"Mean creatures! Stay away from my house!" DeeDee shouted at the Doom Drone as she whacked it on the head with a Puppet Pal Bonkstick she had found in her brother's old lab.

* * *

**Eternal Vistas**

"Hey! Keep it down outside!" Dracula shouted from his place on the couch in the Home of the Ancients. "Dracula trying to watch his stories."

* * *

**Endsville**

"This is so uncool, yo!" Irwin cried as he defended Billy's home. "Dude! I need your help.

"Runty! I can't find Runty!" Billy cried as he ran around the house frantically.

"Idiot boys," Him muttered to himself as he simply snapped his claws, causing a few Monsters close to him to turn into Matter. "Why did I get stuck with them?"

* * *

**Habitat Homes**

"Jake! I don't think it's smart to be here," Adam said.

"We have a duty to protect the school!" Jake said with bravado.

"That's loco!" Lupe said to the spider monkey.

"I'm inclined to agree with Lupe," Windsor said from their safety atop a building.

"Yeah dude, we can't take on all these alien guys," Slips added.

"Besides, what would we fight them with?" Ingrid asked.

"Hmmm... Good point," Jake said as he plopped himself on the roof top. "So, what now?"

* * *

**City Point**

"Get away from me!" Bloo shouted as he swung his Paddleball wildly at the advancing aliens.

"That's not helping Bloo!" Numbuh 311 remarked to the Imaginary Friend.

"I don't know how to fight!" Bloo retaliated.

"Why was I ever teamed up with you?" Numbuh 311 questioned to herself as she shot the aliens like an expert.

* * *

**City Station**

_How pathetic,_ Brick thought to himself as he shot a laser beam at the alien force. _These creatures are weak, and the humans are even weaker. They're not even trying to help stop these creatures. They're lucky I'm here._

* * *

**Townsville Center**

"Don't you dare touch my mall!" Princess shouted in anger as she shot at the aliens.

Even if she was alone against a good number of Monsters, Princess wasn't backing down; not with her mall on the line.

* * *

**City Hall**

"Don't come out until I tell you to, okay?" Bubbles said as she began to close the doors to city hall.

"Of course," Ms. Bellum said. "Be careful out there."

"Make sure they don't get my pickles!" the Mayor requested.

"I won't Mr. Mayor," Bubbles said with a grin as she finished closing the door.

She ran around the building to stand behind it, watching as the Monsters began to approach. She took a deep breath, but stopped herself when she heard something approaching from the sky. Standing guard, she turned around and was shocked to see Boomer land close to her.

"Boomer?" she asked in shock.

"I'm here to help," Boomer responded.

Bubbles smiled lightly and nodded.

"Then keep City Hall safe! We can't let them get inside," Bubbles said.

Seeing Boomer nod, Bubbles turned back to face the oncoming hoard. Taking in another deep breath, Bubbles unleashed a sonic scream that killed the advancing Monsters. Once finished, Bubbles turned to look at the Rowdyruff. Giving a nod of approval, Boomer floated into the sky.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered, shooting off to face the attackers.

* * *

**Townsville Park**

"Dig yer heels in!" the Scotsman ordered to the assembled Plumbers. "Give it all ye got!"

"Yes sir!" the Plumbers responded, not giving up as they shot at the alien enemies.

At Providence, Rex and the Providence agents were busy defending the building.

"This is too easy," Rex said with laugh, reverting his Smackhands back into his regular hands.

"Don't jinx yourself chief," Bobo responded as he shot at the Monsters that continued to approach the Providence building. "You'll find yourself eating your words soon."

Rex scoffed and switched one of his hand into his BFS, cutting the attacking Fusion Monster's in half.

"Keep yourself focused Rex," Six said over the com line.

"I am focused Six," Rex responded. "And I am totally winning."

Six decided to hold in his sigh as he sliced an alien in half. Dealing with Rex and his attitude would be dealt with much later.

* * *

**Orchid Bay**

"You dare to attack _Death?_" Grim demanded as he sliced the attacking Monster's with his scythe. "This makes you dumber than Billy."

"Argh! Don't let them take the ports!" a candy pirate cried, causing a rally cry from the other pirates. "Fight till the end!"

* * *

**Bravo Beach**

"My beach! They're destroying it!" Johnny cried as he watched Plumbers and pirates attack the Monsters on the beach.

"It's alright Johnny," Carl comforted, patting his friend on his back. "It's not like you can defend it."

"This will all be over soon," Suzy added with a comforting smile.

"But my beautiful beach!" Johnny cried, burying his face in his hands.

* * *

**Marquee Row**

"What are you doing here Butch?" Ace demanded as he whacked a Hydro Slammer with his axe.

"Fighting. You?" Butch questioned.

"If you're here to take Buttercup away from me, I swear I'll-"

"What? Sorry. Can't here you at the moment," Butch replied with a grin as he shot through a Streetcrusher.

"C'mon you guys," Buttercup said to Sonny and his class, "You need to get to somewhere safe."

"We want to help!" Lil'D piped up.

"And how would we do that?" Tamika questioned their 'leader'.

"I can come up with some gadget to do that," Philly said.

"Sorry you guys, but right now, it's more important to get somewhere safe," Buttercup stated firmly.

"Listen to the nice lady kids," Sonny said, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. "It's better to get out of the war zone."

"Much better, trust me," Buttercup said with a small grin, making sure the musicians weren't attacked as they made their way to safety.

* * *

**Offworld Plaza**

"You are lucky, Ben Tennyson, that the fate of this world is more important than killing you at the moment," Vilgax shouted over the fight to protect Offworld Plaza from Fuse's army.

"Yeah yeah Vilgax," Ben, as Fourarms, responded without any real care. "You say that all the time. I'll believe it when you mean it."

Vilgax snarled, but used his sword on the Monsters instead of Ben, like he wanted.

* * *

**Mojo's Volcano**

"I, Mojo Jojo, will not allow you to take over my home!" Mojo shouted to the foe's army. "Monkey minions! Defend my home!"

Mojo's monkey army gave a cry of battle and charged at the Monsters, quickly engaging in a skirmish to defend the volcano. Mojo went for his Giganto Destructo Ray and defended his home from higher ground.

* * *

**Tech Square**

"Mandroids! Don't let them into my lab!" Mandark ordered.

The Mandroids did their master's bidding, defending Mandark Industries from the oncoming force.

"Computress, what is the status from the Dexbots?" Dexter questioned from inside his lab, holding his Robotic Claw.

"The Dexbots are holding off as much as they can, but there is no set amount of time that they will be able to hold off the Fusion Monsters," Computress reported.

"Then we had better hope Alice defeats Fuse quickly," Dexter responded.

* * *

**Camp Kidney**

"Get away!" May cried as she whacked the Pack Arachnid. "Bad spider! Bad spider!"

"Fear me and my Plunger of Doom!" Tolietnator cried, as he faced off against a Crazy Metal Boy Scout.

"Stay inside your cabin, campers," Slinkman warned, doing his rounds around the camp to ensure the campers where in their appointed housing.

"But we need to protect the camp!" Patsy argued.

"It's better if you don't," Slinkman reasoned calmly as he went to the Jelly Bean cabin.

* * *

**Leaky Lake**

"Git off my property!" Fuzzy shouted as he used his shotgun to shoot at the Monsters that dared to step foot on his property.

* * *

**Pimpleback Mountains**

"We can't let them take Pimpleback Mountains!" Gwen said to the Plumbers stationed in the area. "We must hold Fuse's army off!"

"Yeah!" the Plumbers cried, raising their weapons to protect Pimpleback Mountains.

Gwen watched them for a moment before looking up at Planet Fusion.

_Alice, I hope you're ready,_ she thought.

* * *

**Mount Blackhead**

"Keep them back!" Numbuh Four ordered as he and other operatives, and Mac, leaned against the gate's opening, which was being pushed against by the Fusion Monsters on the other side.

"I decree it-"

"SHUT UP!" Numbuh Four and Mac shouted in unison, causing Ed to hide behind the Magic Tree.

"Coco. Do you have more eggs?" Numbuh Three asked.

"Coco. Cococococo," Coco said, nudging the four laid eggs with her foot.

"Thanks!" Numbuh Three said, bending down to scoop up the eggs.

She ran to the back of the fort and opened the eggs, finding stones that were placed against the gates to keep the Monsters out.

"This should work for a while," she murmured to herself.

"Kuki! We need some over here!" Numbuh Four shouted.

"Coming!" Numbuh Three responded.

* * *

**Devil's Bluff**

Mandy, calm, cool, and collected, used the Psychic Megaphone to destroy the Talon Titans that tried to come near her.

"Idiots," she muttered in the direction of the Matter.

"The girl is dangerous," Hex muttered to himself as he used his staff to perform magic against the Canyon Stalkers. He looked to his left to see Jeff and Hoss in their usual corner. "And the spider is useless."

"Hoss, maybe you shouldn't call them names," Jeff said as politely as he could.

"What do they care? They'll be dead once I'm done with them!" Hoss argued.

Hex sighed to himself.

_How did this Earth manage to survive with those two bumbling idiots?_

* * *

**Nowhere**

"I've almost forgotten how much I've missed this," Kevin, now in a stone form owed to ancient relics that littered Nowhere, said with a grin.

"It's definitely enjoyable," Juniper remarked as she kicked a Fowl Foe.

"Just keep them away from my house and truck," Eustace responded to the teens' comments as he shot at the Monsters.

"Make sure to be careful dear," Muriel said from the screen door with Courage in her arms.

* * *

**Forsaken Valley**

"Do you believe Alice will be alright?" Tetrax asked in between the fighting below the airship.

"She is a formidable warrior," Jack answered as he used his katana against the Monsters. "I have faith in her and her abilities."

"I am worried for her," Tetrax responded.

"She has close friends, and as much as I detest to say it, she has Aku to help her," Jack responded, visibly frowning upon saying his enemy's name.

"Will he assist her?" Tetrax questioned.

"If it means for him to live, then yes," Jack answered.

* * *

**Huntor's Crest**

Demongo laughed as he killed the Fusion Monsters.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?" he questioned, sending more of the stolen souls to fight for him. "You are all fools!"

* * *

**Fuse's Lair**

"Are you ready Alice?" Palmar asked from beside me.

I turned to look at him, holding in a gulp. I really needed to stop doing that. We had been beamed down to Forsaken Valley as Dexter explained, and flown to the front of Fuse's Lair here on the Earth. Now, faced with the reality that was awaiting me, I began to feel nervous, though I was doing my best to hide it.

"Yes," I answered. "Let's-"

"Hold on," Arthena's voice suddenly said.

Her voice had come from behind me, so I stopped and turned to look at her. I heard gasps and found that the others were looking in her direction; this was the first time anyone had shown any signs of seeing her. She ignored the others stares and stepped towards me.

"Alice, before you face Fuse, you are in need of a weapon," she explained.

"What kind of weapon?" I asked.

"One from your home," Arthena explained, holding out her hands. In a flash of light, a sword appeared. It was simple yet elegant, practically glowing with power. The steel of the sword was so clean that it reflected the sky against it, and the sides were very sharp. The hilt was a simple gold color which went well with the silver steel. "It is called Dianerva. It is a powerful sword made from your ancestors to fight against the Keltics foes. Before your planet was destroyed, your father placed this sword within you to be used against Fuse one day. That time has come. Be warned, once you defeat Fuse, it will disintegrate." She then extended her arms outwards, more towards me.

Shaking slightly from nerves, I took the offered weapon and touched it. Upon my touch, the blade began to glow, and I felt it hum. I gripped the hilt tightly and moved it off of Arthena's hands. The sword, surprisingly, was light in my hand. I examined the sword, staring at it in awe. The others were watching me patiently.

"Be strong Alice," Arthena said, giving my attention onto her. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit. I will be here to help you if you need me. Your friends and your Nanos will be beside you as well, so there is nothing you need to worry about."

I stared at Arthena before nodding with a small smile on my face.

"Thank you Arthena," I said to her.

Arthena smiled at me before disappearing. The sword still remained in my hands, and I wielded it carefully. I turned to look back at my team. They gave me smiles.

"Are you ready Alice?" Palmar asked again.

I gave a nod, somehow feeling more secure as I looked at Fuse's Lair.

"Let's go," I said.

* * *

"Attack them, my dear."

"Yes master."

* * *

**A/N: So here was part one. I'll try to work on part two as soon as possible. Don't expect anything too soon because I've got finals next week, and then on the 26th I'm heading out for a cruise. So, I hope this chapter will suffice until I can get working on it.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	30. Going Down 2 of 2

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Here's part two. This contains the fight with Fuse. I hope you all enjoy it! We are almost done! A lot of the songs I have on my soundtrack (that can be seen on my profile) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Thirty:** Going Down (2 of 2)

* * *

I must have been breathing pretty loudly because of the stares my friends were giving me. I really needed to work on that because I couldn't be nervous, not at the moment. Palmar stepped up and placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me look at him.

"You're fine Alice. We're here for you. You're ready for this," he said in encouragement.

I smiled weakly and nodded, clutching my new weapon tightly. Using the breathing technique Jack had taught me during the short time we had spent in each other's company, I forced myself to relax enough to be alert.

"Let's end this war," I said in a steady tone.

My team nodded and followed me as I led them to the lone Fusion Portal at the base of the alien dome that housed Fuse. We stepped onto the Portal and entered the dome, finding ourselves surrounded by Fusion Matter. Right as we stepped off the Portal, I heard my NanoCom go off. I answered it and looked at the holographic Dexter.

"Good. Communications are still working, but the connection is weak, so we should make this quick," Dexter said. "Try and find any communication interferences and destroy them."

"How will we know what they look like?" I asked.

"Leave that to me," TOM said with an accompanying nod.

"Now get going, all of you," Dexter ordered.

The communication ended at that point, and we began to trek through Fuse's Lair. I had called Nano Vilgax out before we moved, and he searched for the Monsters. He found them on the upper tier. We quickly took them out as we made our way throught it. We came to the ledge and stared down.

"Alice, can you fly us over?" Brent asked.

"Don't ask a stupid question," Trent retaliated before I could answer him. "Alice can't waste energy."

"She's going to need all the energy and power she has to fight Fuse," Holden added before looking at me. "Alice, save as much energy as you can. We'll handle these creatures."

"They don't even look tough," Alexis commented with a cheeky grin.

"But... I can help," I said in protest.

"It's okay Alice. We've got this. You need to focus on Fuse," Numbuh 274 said.

"That's more important than dealing with these creatures. We'll deal with them," TOM added. "Me, Chad, and Viper and her gang can fight down here."

Viper looked over at TOM and nodded. She turned to look back at me. "We'll clear a way for you to move on."

I looked at my friends, who were willing to fight with me and for me, and nodded. If I didn't fight Fuse, then their efforts would be in vain.

"O-okay. Just don't get hurt," I said.

Four of my friends smirked and gave a thumbs up, while the fifth gave me a nod and a small smile.

"Alright Squad A," Numbuh 274 said in his leadership voice. "Battle stations!"

The five of them used the zip lines to land on the floating rock not too far from the ledge before counting on using what resembled jellyfishes. They touched the ground safely without any injuries and began to attack the Monsters that littered the grounds. We stayed on the ledge and watched until Ace turned around and gave us the thumbs up. We followed their lead and made it to the grounds safely, heading for the stairway that lead to the next level, passing by the Stalactitans that were being taken care of. When we came to the stairwell, we discovered that there was a shield.

"Let me try something," Mallory said as she stepped forward.

"No offense, but I don't think that's a good idea," Dark spoke up.

Betty had grabbed Mallory's arm before she could continue moving forward by the time Dark spoke. It seemed she had been thinking along the same lines as Dark.

"The shield is indestructible from external forces. If you attack it, you may cause more damage to yourself. We need to look for a control center," Betty explained, already looking around for one.

My NanoCom suddenly went off.

"Dexter?" I asked as I looked at the screen.

"We still have communications, that's good," Dexter said. "Billy is asking if you've seen Runty. Mandy mentioned she brought the little guy to the meeting."

"Runty?" I asked in shock.

Appearing from behind Dark, the little Fusion Spawn appeared, hopping to my feet and smiling up at me. I only stared back at the little creature in shock. How did I not sense the creature? I have always been able to sense it when it was close by.

"Dexter, Runty's here," I reported into the NanoCom.

After uttering the words, Billy suddenly appeared on the screen, eyes filled with tears.

"Runty! Are you okay? Where are you?" Billy questioned.

"Billy! How are you communicating with Alice?" Dexter demanded in anger. "Wait... Alice, move the NanoCom closer to the Spawn."

I bent down and obediently held out my arm.

"I don't believe this! Runty has high traces of Imaginary Energy," Dexter remarked in shock.

"What does that mean?" Alexis asked.

"It means Runty may be able to disrupt Fusion Energy," Dexter answered.

"It may be able to disrupt the shield generators," Betty concluded.

"We can't use Runty like that," I protested after having quickly processed what the words meant.

"...It's okay Alice," Billy's voice came out quietly.

"What?" I asked in shock as I looked at my NanoCom.

Billy looked heartbroken, but he placed on a brave smile as he looked at me. I was unfamiliar with this Billy, and it made my heart tighten.

"It's okay Alice. You need him right now, and he's the only way to help you win against Fuse. I felt really bad about tricking you before, and so I want to make it up to you," Billy said as his eyes moistened. "I just don't want you to be mad at me because you're my friend."

I felt my shoulders sag as I felt my heartbreak. "Billy."

"Can I say goodbye?" he requested.

I nodded and bent down again, facing the screen to the little Spawn.

"Runty? It's daddy," Billy began. "I just want you to know that you were the bestest pet I could have ever had. I'll always love you."

Runty didn't seem to know what was going on, but made a small noise. Billy began to cry, and in between his sobs, I heard him say he was done, and so I pulled the NanoCom away.

"Thank you Billy," I said before ending communications with both him and Dexter.

I picked up Runty and held him in one hand. The little guy nuzzled into my arm, oblivious to what what was going to happen to him. I looked to my teammates who had glossy eyes, almost crying like me.

"I think I found the shield controls," Betty mentioned.

I nodded and allowed her to guide me to it. When we came to the controls, I held out Runty and placed him on the top of the controls. The effect was instantaneous. A bright light had engulfed Runty and the controls, and when the light dimmed, neither were standing in their previous position, and the shield was down. I stood before the broken controls to collect myself before turning to look back at the awaiting team.

"We've already decided that you four are to head on," Mallory instructed, pointing a finger at myself, the twins, and Palmar. "We'll handle the creatures at this level."

"Give Fuse a hit for me," Alexis said with a grin.

"Be careful, okay?" I asked with worry in my voice.

"Don't worry about us Alice. Just focus," Dark said in encouragement.

I nodded, and allowed the four that would be staying behind to lead the way. Halfway through, we broke off and continued through Fuse's Lair. I felt bad for leaving my teammates behind, but I had to get to Fuse and stop him.

"C'mon Alice!" Brent called. "We're almost there."

"How can you tell?" Trent questioned.

"Intuition," Brent responded cheekily.

Palmar rolled his eyes and shook his head. I just smiled lightly at Brent, taking note of Trent's upset face.

"Both of you, focus," Palmar said in a firm voice.

Brent turned his head back to argue with Palmar, but was cut off when something landed between the boys and myself. I raised my arms to protect myself from any debris and was shocked when a hand wrapped itself around my throat. The dust that had risen began to clear away to reveal Fusion Alice. The Fusion held a murderous glare in her eyes as she threw me across the platform we stood on.

I landed near the edge of the platform, almost falling over into the Fusion Matter sea that laid below it. The sounds of lasers firing alerted me that the boys were fighting back. I quickly got to my feet just in time to see my Fusion counterpart send a blast that knocked them off their feet. I sent a blast of my own at the Fusion, obviously angering her.

"I will deal with you alone," Fusion Alice said as she snapped her fingers.

I heard more than saw Fuse's minions enter the small room-like chamber. I placed up a barrier around me and my friends just in case the Monsters went on the offensive. It came as a surprise to me when Palmar called my attention.

"Alice! We'll handle these guys. You focus on Fusion Alice."

"A-are you sure?" I asked. What if these Monsters are stronger than what we've faced before? Could the boys handle them?

"We're more than sure Alice," Trent responded calmly yet confidentally.

"You just kick that Fusion's butt!" Brent added.

I felt afraid. What if they were killed? What if I failed?

"Alice!"

I released a small gasp as I was shocked out of my thoughts by the sound of Nano Buttercup. Turning, I found my first Nano staring back at me in determination.

"You can do this Alice," my Nano said, repeating what I've heard throughout the war. "Your friends can take care of themselves, and me and the other Nanos are here for you!"

I looked at my Nano before nodding.

"Thanks," I said.

Nano Buttercup grinned before turning her attention to Fusion Alice. Surprisingly, the Fusion had been waiting for us to finish our conversation. I heard the sounds of the boys fighting behind me, drawing the Monsters attention from me. Feeling more determined than before, I hovered into the sky and watched as my Fusion counterpart mimicked me. Without uttering a word or sound, Fusion Alice charged at my Nano and me. Instead of going on the defensive like I would normally do, I went on the offensive and sent an energy blast at her. She blocked it with her arms before sending a blast of her own at me. I blocked the blast with a shield. Nano Buttercup acted upon her own accord and used her _Miss Fire_, which successfully stunned my Fusion counterpart.

I released another blast of energy at the Fusion, but was shocked to find it deflected by a Monster. The hit instantly killed it, giving Fusion Alice enough time to break out of her stunned state. She sent a blast at my Nano, who I quickly protected with a shield. I was so distracted with protecting my Nano that I left myself unguarded, receiving a hit in the chest by one of Fusion Alice's telekinetic blast. The hit sent me to the ground, 'causing me to land hard on my back. Thanks to adrenaline, I felt only a little pain before I was back on my feet and in the air. I was thankful for my quickness because I found Fusion Alice's fist in a small crater where I had previously laid. Turning her head sharply, Fusion Alice shot at me like a bullet. I had no time to block or dodge and found myself colliding with the Fusion. The force and speed caused us to fly through the wall and land on the outside of Fuse's Lair.

I managed to untangle myself from the Fusion's grip, but she countered with a point-blank energy ball. I only managed to dodge the attack; but only enough to have it hit my left shoulder. I hadn't judged our altitude correctly and when I flew downwards, I collided with the ground, causing myself to skid to a painful stop that was self-caused. My sword had fallen out of my hands from force of the impact. Before I could get myself to my feet, Fusion Alice's foot was on my throat, pressing down on my airways. I gripped her ankles in an attempt to throw her off me, but I wasn't physically strong enough to do so. I struggled to breathe as she applied more pressure to my throat. Before I could fall into unconsciousness, I watched as Fusion Alice's attention was pulled away from me when a small rock had hit her on the side of her head. Following her line of direction, I found my Nanos TOM and Numbuh 274 both holding small rocks. Nano Buttercup floated ahead of them, possibly the culprit who threw the rock.

"Get off of her!" the female Nano roared in anger.

Seeing the three Nanos reminded me that I had powers and I quickly shot the Fusion off of me. Fusion Alice stumbled backwards before catching herself from falling back further. Nano TOM used _Absolution Aid,_ but its stun effect didn't work on the Fusion. Nano Numbuh 274 stepped up and used _Soopreme Leaduh Slam_, but the attack did little damage. Fearing they would be hurt, I quickly ushered them back into the NanoCom and warned them to not come out until the fight with Fuse. The Fusion extended her arms to the side of her, and her hands began to glow a green color. I quickly guessed she was powering up a blast, and I quickly did the same, my hands glowing blue. Almost as if we were on sync, we raised our arms, flattened our palms, and sent our powerful blasts at each other. The two energys hit each other, causing their contact point to glow brightly. I did my best to ignore the brightness and tried to send more of my power into the blast. Despite my efforts, Fusion Alice was stronger, and her blasts were slowly making their way towards me while I tried desperately to push them back. I could tell Arthena was doing all she could to help me, but I was still the underdog in the fight.

**You are tired and weak from your travel. Allow me to help,** Aku's voice said.

I turned my head lightly to see the figure of the Dark Wizard standing behind me. I wasn't exactly sure if I could trust him, but I saw no other choice. I couldn't reach my sword in time to help me, and I didn't want my Nanos to waste their energy on me. I wasn't left with any other option.

"Please help me Aku," I pleaded. I could hear the breathlessness in my voice, and I was sure Aku heard it too.

**Of course, my dear,** the Dark Wizard said, raising his hand and placing it on my arm.

I felt the effects immediately, and watched as the war between the energy blasts began to turn in my favor. The Fusion narrowed her eyes, but nothing she did helped her, and before my eyes, I watched as my energy blast consumed her in its bright blue color. When it died down, Fusion Alice was nothing more than Fusion Matter that littered the ground. Breathing heavily from the battle, I fell to my knees and began to dry heave. I didn't vomit, but I was close to it. Finally calming down, I looked up to see Aku standing before me. He stared down at me with a neutral face, but reached out and brushed the hair from my face with his claw-like fingers.

**Your body was not ready for the power I bestowed upon you, but not to worry. It will not kill you,** Aku said. **In order for me to live, I must keep you alive.**

If it wasn't for the fact that I had to go and face Fuse, I may have paled at the notion of being nothing more than a vessel for a demon. At the moment, I was too preoccupied with saving Earth. Weakly, I stood to my feet and grabbed my sword. Taking deep breaths, I slowly rose into the air and headed back for the hole that was made by Fusion Alice and myself. When I entered, I didn't hear any sounds of fighting. I felt my heart tighten in fear, but before I could overreact, I found the three boys standing in the middle of the platform with my other friends, all of them grinning up at me when they saw me. I glided down to where they were and landed on the fringe of their gathering.

"You are all alright," I said, stating the obvious with joy.

"Of course we are," Viper said with a shrug.

"We're not going to let you do this alone," Holden added.

"Now then, we've got a dictator to take down!" Ace said with hyped up energy.

"Alice, are you okay?" Betty questioned, stepping closer.

I smiled feebly and nodded, looking over my friends to see if they were damaged. They had a few scratches and bruises, but for the most part, they seemed unharmed. Mallory stepped over and began to inspect me.

"Alice, maybe you should sit down for a moment," she suggested.

"What? N-no. I'm fine. Really," I said.

"Alice, you look tired, and you're really pale," Trent said as he stepped up beside me. "You shouldn't face Fuse like this."

"I can do it. Honest," I said, not wanting to let them down. "Really I-"

"_Alice, stop acting like a martyr and sit down,_" Palmar said in a stern voice that I've never heard before.

Startled, I jumped at hearing the tone he used with me, and stared at him in shock. Obediently, I sat down with Mallory's help. Mallory was sending a glare in Palmar's direction, but didn't say a word to him.

"Have you tried using a Nano's heal on you?" Trent asked in a soft tone. He too had glared at Palmar, but his focus was centered on me.

"No. I didn't want them to get hurt during my battle with Fusion Alice," I answered.

"Maybe you should have them heal you. You're pale, and that means you're tired," Trent said with obvious concern.

I nodded at him and called out Nano Grim and Nano Numbuh Three. I didn't need to explain the situation, and the two Nanos used their healing powers on the group, healing us of our injuries and giving us stamina. Feeling more energized, I stood to my feet again and called my Nanos back to the NanoCom.

"Those things are impressive," Numbuh 274 commented. "Are you up for this battle with Fuse, Alice?"

I nodded, "Yes."

The group nodded, and we began to head in the forward direction towards Fuse, encountering less and less Fusion Monsters as we traveled. After traveling through the enclosed area, we arrived in an open expanse that encompassed by a massive dome. Climbing the mountain that was there, we arrived at the top of it. We used the zip lines provided and headed to another mountain, and climbed to the top, which overlooked another sea of Fusion Matter. Just beyond we could see a half-dome along with a black, shadowy figure we identified as Fuse.

"This is it," Dark muttered as he readied his Optical Greatsword.

"Are you ready Alice?" Brent asked.

I nodded, clenching the hilt of the sword tightly. I could feel it hum lightly, possibly anticipating the oncoming battle with Fuse. As one, we hopped onto the zip lines and handed on jumping pads that launched us onto a platform previously occupied by Lord Fuse. Aforementioned alien overlord turned and glared at us as he stood to his full stature; honestly, he was taller than I had imagined.

There was no time to speak or even think of a plan of attack; we simply launched at the alien. Anyone with a melee weapon advanced on him while those with a longer range stayed towards the back and covered us as we attacked. Even though we had the numbers, we underestimated him. The alien lord launched a blast that sent all of us onto our backs. I hadn't known he could do that, and it was pretty powerful.

"This is bad," Numbuh 274's voice said, causing me to turn in his direction.

Most of us were already on our feet, but TOM was still on the ground with Numbuh 274 on one side of him and Betty on the other. The latter was looking at a hologram that came from her wrist.

"His vitals are low," Betty muttered to Numbuh 274. "But I'm not one hundred percent positive. My comlink is acting up."

"What's wrong?" I asked as I neared them.

"That blast that Fuse used doubled as an EMP wave," Numbuh 274 responded. "It's shut TOM down."

"EMP?" I asked. The name sounded familiar, but at the moment, I couldn't think of why.

"Electromagnetic pulse," Betty answered. "A strong enough one can damage anything running on electronics, and considering TOM is a robot, his circuitry has been messed with."

"So we've got a fighter down," Trent muttered, stepping towards our conversation with a contemplative look set upon his face.

From behind me, I could hear the fighting going on. Biting my lip, I stared at the robot and then to Betty.

"Is there any way to bring him back online?" I asked, relying on old sci-fi shows for their terminology.

"I may be able to, but he won't be running at full power," Betty responded.

"That's fine," I answered. "Trent, Chad, can you two cover for Betty?"

"Already consider it done," Numbuh 274 said as he stood up, aiming his weapon at Fuse.

I nodded in satisfaction before turning my sights back on the fight at hand. I managed to catch Fuse knock Alexis into Dark, sending the two near the edge of the platform. Both didn't look like they were going to get back up, but I was at least happy to see that Fuse was not occupied with them; hopefully, this will allow the two to recover and join us in the battle. From the corner of my eye, I watched Mallory slowly move closer to our two fallen comrades. Fuse wasn't focusing on her though...

"So you've come eh?" Fuse questioned me. "Finally toughened up? Are you no longer able to stand the thought of countless deaths in order to protect your life?"

That... that hurt. I felt my body shake in fear and guilt at hearing those words for me, and shame. I forgot how many lives died during this war. My thoughts were cut off when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Palmar next to me, a firm glare directed towards Fuse.

"Don't listen to him, Alice. He's just trying to psyche you out," Palmar responded. "Focus."

I nodded and steeled myself. I needed to finish this quickly. I didn't want anyone else to be hurt by him.

"Yes, dear Keltic," Fuse muttered. "Come at me."

"Be careful what you wish for, dude," Brent said with a grin.

At those words, the nine of us that were still standing went into action. Holding the only melee weapon, I launched at him as close to him as I could get. Fuse snarled and tried to smash me to the ground. I tried using Nano Blossom's _Ice Breath_, but it failed to work on Fuse, confusing my Nano. I was so distracted by her look that I was hit by Fuse and slammed to the ground.

"Alice!" Mallory called. "Are you okay!"

"I-I'm fine," I called back, using the Dianerva to help me get to my feet.

"Insolent girl!" Fuse screamed as he aimed for me again.

I raised up Dianerva and used the sword to block Fuse's attack. It worked well, actually managing to slice part of his hand. This caused Fuse to release a roar of pain. He snarled in anger and aimed for me again. I quickly flew away from the attack and sliced his arm at the elbow.

"Way to go Alice!" Brent and Trent cheered in unison.

"This isn't over humans," Fuse replied.

"It is for you Fuse," Ace said in turn, shooting at the base of Fuse's head.

Fuse turned in his direction, allowing me the opportunity to slice his other arm off. He released another cry of pain, and another energy blast sent us off our feet. Very few of us got up after the attack this time.

"Alice! TOM can't take another hit like that!" Betty shouted.

"From the looks of it, neither can your little group," Fuse laughed as his red eyes surveyed the platform we occupied.

I looked around too and felt concern panging in my heart. Betty and Numbuh 274 were looking over TOM; Viper was checking on her two fallen teammates; Mallory was struggling to her feet; Trent, Brent, Dark, and Alexis were down; Mallory and Palmar were struggling to get to their feet. I looked back at Fuse and aimed the sword at him. Without saying a word, I launched at him. With no arms to attack, he settled for spitting Fusion Matter balls at me from his mouth. I dodged what I could, and if I couldn't evade them, I used a force-field to protect myself.

Once I was close to him, I aimed for his heart and I managed to send the tip of the blade into the area. He released a cry of pain. I ignored his cries and continued to dive the sword deeper into his heart. He released more cries of pain as he was turned into Fusion Matter. When he was completely turned into Fusion Matter, I landed on the ground, staring at the Matter that was seeping into the ground. From behind me, I heard cries of victory. Turning, I smiled at my group who were all climbing to their feet in relief. I watched Numbuh 274 take a comlink from his belt to call Dexter.

I smiled lightly, but something didn't feel right. It seemed... too easy. Looking down at my hand, I found Dianerva still in my hand. Furrowing my brow, I continued to stare at the sword. I was some distance away from my group. Something was wrong; shouldn't the sword have disappeared after Fuse's defeat? Biting my lip, I felt a pull in the direction behind me. Turning, I stared in awe at a swirling portal that had appeared against the wall. I felt the pull become stronger. Taking a deep breath, I spared one last glance to my friends before making my way over to the portal as quietly as I could. I didn't hesitate when I stepped into the portal. As I heard something heavy move, I realized that I had stepped through a door leading to Planet Fusion.

Almost immediately, I heard voices cry out my name. Turning, I smiled a bit weakly at my group of friends who were stumbling their way over to where I was. Before any of them could get closer to stop me or join me, the door closed on them. I was allowed a simple moment to feel guilty about not telling them where I was going, but before I could dwell on the feeling, I felt myself be shot through the portal.

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

Dexter had been in the middle of spreading the good news that Fuse was gone when he saw Chad calling again. Furrowing his brows in confusion, Dexter answered the call.

"What is it Chad?" Dexter questioned.

"Alice disappeared on us. She's gone through some portal Fuse had at the back of his domain!" Chad responded.

"What?" Dexter questioned in shock.

"She's gone. She didn't say a word," Chad continued. "We think she went to Planet Fusion."

"What? That's impossible; you said Fuse was destroyed," Dexter responded.

"We thought he was, but have you checked to see if Planet Fusion was still around?" Chad questioned.

Dexter flushed in embarrassment and quickly went to check his satellites. To his horror, Planet Fusion was still standing.

"It's still in orbit," Dexter responded over the communication line.

"Then Alice must be on there," Chad responded.

Dexter placed his forehead in his palm in exhaustion.

"Fuse must have placed a copy on the Earth," Dexter whispered. "That portal... he was going to use it to enter the Earth."

"Well, Alice is up there now. We need you to send a few S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s to pick us up. Just find the dome, shoot through it, and pick us up. TOM is in need of a recharge," Chad explained.

"I'm getting it done now," Dexter answered, already sending out a request to Numbuh 331 who was in charge of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. travels on the Earth.

When Chad ended the communication, he settled on sending out a world-wide announcement that stated Alice was currently on Planet Fusion to face Fuse. He hacked into the television lines and placed an image of Planet Fusion on the monitors so that all of them could watch in anticipation.

_Good luck, Alice,_ Dexter thought as he spared a glance at Planet Fusion.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

I didn't have time to dwell on the interior of the planet as I moved through it. I needed to find Fuse and finish this war. The Keltic sword began to hum loudly, obviously pointing me in the right direction.

_Arthena? Aku?_ I asked in my mind. _Will... Will you two stay by me?_

_**I am always here for you Alice,**_Arthena said with her warm voice.

**I will not leave you, little one,** Aku said.

I should have been more worried about the Dark Wizard staying by my side, but it provided me some comfort. Steeling myself again for the nth time that day, I found myself entering the throne room. Sitting upon his twisted throne was Fuse. He looked like the clone he had used on the planet Earth, but this Fuse seemed to exhibit a great pressure.

"We finally meet," Fuse said in a deep voice.

"I'm here to stop you Fuse," I said as I quickly took a stance, wielding the hilt with my two hands.

"I'd like to see you try, my dear," Fuse said as he stood from his throne. "You seem to be blind; I am on _my_ home planet, giving me the advantage."

"I'm not afraid," I whispered.

"I can smell your fear," Fuse smirked. "You reek of it."

I tensed and glared at Fuse.

"Even if I am afraid, I'll still stop you," I replied.

"I'd like to see you try, Keltic," Fuse sneered. "Your race died out because they were too weak to face me. You are no different."

I didn't respond to his accusations. Instead, I launched at the alien overlord. He chuckled and smashed me into the side of his wall. I fell to the ground and looked up, managing to protect myself with a barrier just as Fuse aimed a punch at me. He snickered.

"Your defenses are quick. Tell me, have you been readying yourself for our battle?" Fuse questioned in a mocking tone.

"No," I responded. "I have only been readying for you for a few months now."

"Then your training has not been in vain," Fuse said as he lifted one of his feet and slammed it against the barrier.

His stomp caused my barrier to break, and he did not hesitate to kick me into the wall. He managed to kick me twice before I held up my sword, managing to slice him in the foot. This gave me the opportunity to roll away from him. I was able to get to my knees before looking up to see Fuse send a blast of Fusion Matter at me. I couldn't manage to raise my shields, so I braced myself for the hit by raising my arms to protect myself. I was shocked when I heard _Bio Dome_, and so I opened my eyes to see a sphere of green surrounding me and consuming the Fusion Matter. In front of me, my Nano Mandark hovered proudly. Fuse sneered in our direction.

"It seems you have pets to defend you," Fuse jabbed.

"Pets!" my Nano repeated in anger.

"Don't insult my friends!" I shouted in anger, sending a telekinetic blast at Fuse.

It managed to send him into the wall, but he stood glaring at me.

"You have gotten stronger than your people were when I took them over," Fuse remarked. "But no matter. I will kill you before you get the chance to kill me."

He sent a Fusion Matter blast at me. I rolled out of the way and stood to my feet. He had made his way over to where I was and aimed to step on me again, but he was stopped by my Damage Nanos.

"Don't touch her!" Nano Fourarms ordered.

"We won't let you!" Nano Numbuh 274 added.

The combined strength of my Nanos was enough to throw Fuse off his footing, giving me enough time to get back to my feet. All my Nanos were now out of the NanoCom and circling me. I could feel the Heal Nanos use their ability on me.

"You're not alone in this, my dear," Nano Him said.

"We're here to help you," Nano Bubbles said with a smile.

"So don't worry. We've got your back," Nano TOM added with a thumbs up.

I smiled at my Nanos, and even felt Aku and Arthena beside me. I knew, without asking, I had their strength to fight Fuse. I watched the alien lord try to stand up, and so I threw my sword at him, managing to get it to imbed where his heart was... but, he didn't look that affected by it. He was even laughing!

"Silly girl. Did you honestly think I'd have a heart like you and those pathetic humans?" Fuse mocked as he stood up.

I didn't say a thing in shock; hadn't that worked with the clone? Fuse laughed more and grabbed for the sword, but he released a yelp of pain. To my surprise, I found the sword glowing brightly. Fuse sneered in the direction of the sword before looking at me.

"Your sword doesn't want to be touched, apparently," Fuse jeered, but now you are without it.

Wide-eyed, I watched as he sent another blast my way, I quickly countered with a blast of my own, managing to knock it off course and hit one of the walls and causing a hole in it. I then attacked again with a telekinetic blast that managed to hit Fuse.

"I'm growing tired of your games," Fuse sneered.

He sounded more hurt, and after I looked towards the sword, I noticed white lines against Fuse's skin, stemming outward from the sword. I smiled lightly at realizing he was being affected by the sword.

"Alice!" a Nano cried, pulling me away from the thoughts.

I received a hit from Fuse's hand, sending me into the wall. I laid on the ground for a few seconds before I heard my Nanos give cries of pain. I stood up and found my Nanos laying on the ground, all in fetal positions. I felt my body shudder as I stared at them.

_**Alice, you must calm down. When fighting Fuse, you must be rational,**_ Arthena said.

_He... he hurt them._

**They are fine, dear. Fuse is who you must worry about,** Aku said.

_**I will give you more of my powers Alice, but you must focus on Fuse,**_ Arthena said.

_I will_, I responded as I clenched my fist.

I felt more power encase me before I shot off like a bullet at Fuse. Fuse thought I was aiming to hit him, but I wasn't. My target was the sword. I maneuvered around him and grabbed the hilt of Dianerva and pulled the sword out. Fuse howled in pain, but I quickly countered my slicing his arm off. Like everything else, it turned into Fusion Matter. Fuse snarled in my direction and fired Fusion Matter with his eyes. I placed up a barrier and used it to push him towards the wall. Then raising my hand, I sent several shots of energy at him, all managing to hit him. He released a powerful yell that sent me to the ground, but I held up my sword for protection. I called my Nanos into the NanoCom.

"I grow tired of your presence. I will kill you now," Fuse said as he raised his remaining hand.

"Quite frankly," I said, sitting up to look at him. "I have too."

Raising the sword at him, I watched it glow as I transferred my energy into it. This would be my only chance to rid the galaxy of Fuse. Fuse seemed to have caught on to my plans because he continued to power his blast up. I was faster, and I shot a beam of white light in his direction. It blast incased him, and he cried out in pain. I didn't let up as I used every last bit of energy I had; using up everything Arthena had given me; using up everything Aku had given me. I had to use everything... and it seemed it was enough.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in pain as he was disintegrated into Fusion Matter.

I breathed heavily as I dropped the sword in the silence. The sword clattered upon impact with the ground, but within seconds, it disappeared, meaning I had succeeded. I had killed Fuse and stopped him from killing anyone else. I was only given a brief moment of peace before an explosion happened, sending me through a wall and into outer space.

I watched as the planet separated. The other planets it had consumed moved at breakneck speed away from the Matter that had kept it together. With Fuse no longer alive, the planet could no longer hold itself together. The once gooey planet seemed to disintegrate into the vacuum of space. I was soon left alone, my body floating. It was so dark; I couldn't see stars. I closed my eyes and released a sigh, feeling my body shudder from the pain of the battle. I could have had one of my Healing Nanos come out, but I didn't know if they could breathe in a no air zone. How was I even breathing?

I allowed the pain to continue, feeling my body shudder before I became numb. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before opening them and looking around. Despite being numb, it still hurt to move. I could see to my right the moon, and the elegant Kids Next Door Moonbase that sat upon it. It looked large, even from where I was. I wondered if they could see me. I passed by and continued on, but where on to? Craning my neck, I looked to see Earth. How nice. I'm heading towards Earth. I couldn't hear Arthena. Maybe she was mad at me for using so much of her power. I don't blame her. Everyone was probably mad at me. It will nice to be back on Earth. I wonder if Grim will be there.

I could feel myself approaching Earth as the pain continued to attack my brain senses. It was overpowering me, trying to make me fall unconscious. I could feel the pressure around me change as I was entering the atmosphere, watching the black space slowly change into a bluish hue. I couldn't hold onto my consciousness anymore, and closed my eyes, allowing pain to take over and rest as I felt my body heat up from entering the atmosphere at my speed.

It felt so nice. Resting... with the heat. It was peaceful... Very nice... Very...

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

"ALICE!"

* * *

**A/N: So here was part two. I'm sorry for all of you who felt you had to wait a long time for it, but I hope it was worth the wait. Can you believe it everyone? I only have one chapter left, and then we're done with the story.**

**If you have any questions that you want answered, please feel free to pm me and I'll try and clear them up.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!**


	31. Aftermath

**AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. Can you believe it's the final chapter? I want to thank everyone who has read, review, or both of them throughout this whole story! I hope this was an enjoyable story for all of you; I know it was for me.**

**The beginning was taken from an idea that would have been used in my **_Why Me?_ **story had the stupid virus not attacked and **_**killed**_** my computer.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.**

**Title:** What Gets Me Through the War  
**Author:** AnimeGirl 144  
**Chapter Thirty-One:** Aftermath

* * *

**No P.O.V.**

The medical ward of the Moonbase was relatively silent except for the sounds of the medical equipment. Above the renovated medical ward was a sky view walkway, protected by glass covering and spanning over the many rooms below. It was made so that the Kids Next Door doctors could view their multiple occupants quickly. It was currently being occupied by Dexter, who was standing behind a particular glass, staring down with thoughtful eyes.

Laying in a medical bed was a sleeping Alice, surrounded by sterile white. Neatly folded on the chair sat her clothing that had repaired itself. It perplexed Dexter greatly, and his scientific mind wanted to find out what the item was made out of due to its regenerative properties, but out of respect for its fallen owner, he reined in his curiosity. Sitting on a table pad was Alice's NanoCom, which lay upon a small pad, still recharging.

Alice looked better than she had a week ago. The scars, cuts, and bruises on her body had been healed and bandaged accordingly. A few doctors, even adults, had gone to the Moonbase to fix up Alice. Talk of having the healing Nanos heal Alice had been thrown out when they found that the NanoCom's energy was low, making it hard for them to call out the Nanos or to have the Nanos come out on their own.

The sliding doors opened with a quiet hiss, making Dexter look over towards it. Numbuh One was heading towards the scientist with Mojo, Ben, and Double-D following close behind. As the Guides of the War, the Moonbase allowed them to have some privilege in seeing the healing patient. All stood silently against the railings, peaking into the room as the patient rested, safely out of danger.

"Numbuh 90210 says that she should awake sometime today," Numbuh One stated to the group.

Dexter nodded, keeping his eyes on the patient, "Have her friends been alerted?"

"Yes. I've already discussed it with Numbuh 362 and they've been cleared for visit for as long as she is in our care," Numbuh One said.

Dexter nodded again, not saying a word this time.

"It's really incredible that she suriveved," Ben commented. "Even I don't think I could survive falling through the atmosphere."

"It is a wonder how she was able to do such a thing," Double-D added, looking in concern at his neighborhood friend. "But she almost didn't make it."

"Stupid sock-wearing boy!" Mojo barked to the weakling teen. "Do not dwell on the past. The girl has survived, Earth is safe, and I, Mojo Jojo, can work harder to rule it. For this is what I plan to do!"

"After we clean it up," Ben stated, ignoring Mojo's statement.

None of them really took the threat seriously. Worst fates had befallen the Earth than Mojo attempting to take over the world…again. They watched at the medical bay doors opened and allowed in Alice's friends and comrades that she had made over her journey. They assembled into the room she was residing in with Numbuh 90210 leading them in, checking the machines she was hooked up to. Without needing to say a word, the five Guides headed out of the sky view and towards Alice's room.

* * *

**Alice's P.O.V.**

_**"Alice. You need to wake up."**_

_Arthena?_

_**"Yes Alice. It is time to wake up. Your friends are worried."**_

_What?_

I was surrounded in darkness, I knew that much, before it disappeared. I was back in my subconscious, where I first met and learned of Arthena. I landed on the grass and immediately looked around, finding Arthena standing somewhere just behind me.

"Am I dead?" I asked.

"If you were, we wouldn't be talking now," Arthena responded.

"Oh," I responded. "So I'm alive? How?"

"You are stronger than you think," Arthena responded. "And your friends are not willing to let you die."

"I don't understand," I said, blinking at Arthena. "I thought I was dead."

"No. You were at the brink of death, but your friends wouldn't allow it. They were able to bring you back, and now you are alive, but you must wake up for them," Arthena said. "It is time to return to them."

"Alright," I whispered, closing my eyes and forcing myself to wake up.

I could hear the sounds of a machine beeping and soft talking. I could tell, without needing to open my eyes, that I was in a medical room. I forced my eyes opened, but quickly shut them due to a blinding light. I should have known better, since my mother used to work in a hospital and I had spent much of my time there. Blinking, I readjusted my eyes and focused it away from the light that was shining on me and instead focused on the people gathered in the room. I was surprised to see so many people.

"Alice, you're awake!" Mallory exclaimed in a soft tone.

"We were so worried," Brent said with a relieved sigh.

"We're glad you're okay," Trent added.

"How are you feeling Miss Spacebyte?" the operative doctor asked, standing the closest to my bed.

"I feel fine," I answered, surprised at my hoarse voice.

The doctor grinned, as if knowing that would happen, and handed me a glass of water. I moved myself to sit up and thanked him, drinking from the cup of water. I was grateful for the water, and felt it work against my rough throat.

"How about now?" the doctor asked, taking back the empty cup.

"My throat feels better," I answered with a smile. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Holden questioned.

"Yeah, it was incredible! You just came out of the sky like a rocket!" Ace continued.

I just blinked at them, trying to recall what they were saying. Nothing was coming up, and it was both troubling and scary.

"I believe I can fill you in," Dexter's voice broke through as the owner of the voice moved more into the room and into my line of sight. "After you successfully destroyed Planet Fusion, you were picked up by the Earth's gravitational pull and brought into the Earth's atmosphere. You crash landed in the Darklands and were brought immediately to the Moonbase. You have been here for a week, asleep."

"I have?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Ben said with a nod. "The fight took more out of you than we anticipated."

"Going two rounds with Fuse will do that to ya boys," Mallory remarked dryly. "Anyways, you stopped Fuse and ended the war! You're a hero Alice! Well, heroine, but you know, same thing."

I blinked and it must have confused them.

"Didn't you hear Alice?" Viper asked.

"Yeah. You're a hero," Ace said.

I just blinked because I didn't understand. How was I a hero(ine)? I just did what I did because I had to. I spoke my thoughts out loud, wanting to correct them. A collective silence filled the room before the group began to laugh. I was confused but smiled lightly, hearing them saw something about "Alice being modest." How was I being modest?

Isn't it the truth?

After spending another three days in the Moonbase's medical ward, I was released from their care and brought back to Peach Creek Commons. My home looked as normal as ever with a small banner hanging off the top of my front porch that read: "Welcome back Alice!" I smiled lightly at my friend's care for me. It was still a shock to know that the war was over. I wouldn't be fighting Monsters, or Fusions, or gaining new Nanos. It was going to take some getting use to.

_**You will be fine my dear,**_ Arthena said, materialized behind me.

I turned and smiled at her before turning to look upon my house once more.

"I know I will," I said, knowing it must look weird to speak to myself. "It's just... It's going to take some for me to adjust."

_**You're a smart girl. You'll adjust just fine.**_

I gasped in shock when I heard the new voice, one that didn't belong to either Aku or Arthena, and turned to find a young-looking woman and a young-looking man standing beside Arthena. Both wore elegant outfits and had blue hair. Where they...?

_**Hello, my dear Alyssca,**_ the woman said. _**We have been looking over you since your journey began.**_

I gasped again; Arthena had mentioned that was my name.

"M-mom?" I questioned. "D-dad?"

The woman - my mother - nodded as the man - my father then - wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

_**We're very proud of you dear,**_ my father said.

"B-but... H-how...?"

_**Let's just say, Death has taken pity on us.**_

I recognized that voice immediately, and turning around, I found my mother - my Earth mother - standing there with a smile on her face.

"Mom," I said, knowing full well my voice was breaking as tears began to form.

_**I'm proud of what a strong young woman you've become, Alice,**_ my mother said with a warm smile. _**All three of us are.**_

_**And we'll keep a watch over you,**_ my birth mother said, making me turn to look back at her.

_**We just wanted to let you know that we love you,**_ my father said, stepping up to me and kissing me on the forehead.

I shouldn't have felt it, but I did, causing me to gasp again. How was it that I was able to feel it when they should be dead? Through the kiss, he gave me images of when I was just a baby, and the few precious moments I had with my family before that was all taken away from me. The images brought more tears to my eyes, but I hadn't released a single one just yet.

Both of my mothers stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, sending as much love to me as the gesture would allow. Then they pulled back, smiled at me one last time, and disappeared from my line of vision. I smiled as tears began to fall down my face. Arthena came to stand beside me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled up at her, silently conveying that I was okay.

I know it's clichéd, but love had gotten me through the war. The love from my friends, my deceased family, my Nanos, and even acquaintances, helped me get through it. They believed in me and had faith that I would pull through and win the war. Without them, I would have died early in the war.

Smiling to myself, I finally allowed myself to relax and welcome the fact that _the war was over._

* * *

**A/N: This is the end of the story. A sequel had been written and worked on, but due to my feel that Alice was growing Sueish, I've decided to delete the story and wrap it up here. I'm terribly sorry for those of you who was reading the sequel, but interest in it and the story line was not working for me, so this is where we depart. I will work on more FusionFall related stuff in the future, and maybe get back to the sequel after I fix it up.**

**Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144.**


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